


hold on hope

by VaguelyDownwards



Category: Kamen Rider 555, Kamen Rider Series, Kamen Rider Wizard
Genre: 555 spoilers, M/M, gratuitous crossovers, this too is Decade's fault
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-12
Updated: 2015-10-26
Packaged: 2018-03-01 03:58:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 26,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2758769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VaguelyDownwards/pseuds/VaguelyDownwards
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haruto can't not help a guy clearly in need of a little hope. Takumi isn't quite mean enough to tell him to shove it. Set shortly after Kamen Rider Taisen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. sun it rises slowly

**Author's Note:**

> This is incredibly self-indulgent, and I'm sort of playing fast and loose with the canon because crossovers exist in a weird gray area, especially when a certain character is passing through. I swear there's a romance in here somewhere.
> 
> I'm counting this as "general audiences" so far because it's not any more violent than the show itself, which is, let us not forget, for kids.

It felt like a quiet act of defiance to use the Faiz phone as an actual phone. He didn’t  _have_  to transform or fight monsters or violently defend the dreams of others, at least not always. Maybe he just wanted to have a nice chat.

Maybe he needed advice on what to do about the monster attacking his friend.

There was the logical answer, of course. He’d certainly dealt with more than his fair share of that kind of nonsense. But he knew more than anyone that some monsters were more monstrous than others. He needed a second opinion before charging into a fight.

"Hello?" The voice on the line was calm and friendly.

"Souma? It’s Inui."

"Just Haruto, please. We’re both Riders, right?"

"Er, right." Ten years and Takumi still wasn’t used to the "Kamen Rider" epithet, and people like Haruto didn’t help. The other Riders were shining heroes who boldly stepped forward to defend what they held dear. Even Tsukasa had a certain glamour about him, and nobody was exactly lining up to sing his praises. It had to be some kind of mistake to group Takumi with the rest of them just because he occasionally looked the part.

"Takumi? Is everything alright?"

"Yes! I mean, no, actually. It’s Keitaro. Something attacked him, and I don’t think it was an Orphnoch."

"And you’re hoping I know how to deal with… whatever it is."

"It told him to despair."

"Oh. That does rather sound like my line of work. Where is he now?"

"He’s here. At the laundry, I mean. He’s hurt, but okay for the moment. Mari’s watching him."

"The Phantom that attacked him will be back. Keep an eye on him until I get there."

"Okay. Okay."

"And Takumi?"

"Yeah?"

"Relax. You sound tense, but trust me, it’s going to be fine. Phantoms don’t outright kill people. Usually."

"Usually, you say."

"Well, there are exceptions to every rule, as I’m sure you know. But their typical pattern is to attack mostly to frighten their target until they find out the best way to drive them to despair. It doesn’t do them any good if the Gate dies without creating a new Phantom."

"You’re not really helping, you know."

"Sorry. You’re completely right. I’ll just… hurry on over, alright?"

Takumi ended the call with a growing feeling of unease. Haruto’s remark had to be a statement about him: he was the exception, the Good Orphnoch. And Osada and Kaidou, of course, and assorted other people he’d met over the years who had quietly disclosed their Orphnoch status without causing any trouble. He wanted to include Kiba in their number, but he couldn’t deny that the facts were against him. But no matter how many exceptions he could name, apparently not even “The Final Hope” could let him forget that he hadn’t been entirely human for a long time now.

It didn’t bother him, really. Haruto had a point, and it was exactly the point he had been trying to make when he called him. It never did anyone any good to make assumptions. He turned back to the sitting room where Mari was trying to convince Keitaro that he was in no shape to handle the day’s dirty clothes. He could worry about self-pity later.

-

The man who showed up at their door was not Haruto. Takumi was reluctant to consider him more than a nuisance, but the oversized belt buckle framed by his fur-trimmed vest didn’t look like the latest in nomad fashion. Another Rider, then, and at least as young as Haruto. How many Riders could one generation spawn? It couldn’t hurt to have too many, he supposed. They certainly didn’t have any shortage of enemies.

"I heard this was a place a guy could find a good meal," their visitor said with a broad grin.

"Er, well, I’m hardly a cook, but I could probably manage something simple," said Keitaro. He started to rise from where he was resting, but Mari’s hand landed firmly on his shoulder.

"This is a laundry, not a soup kitchen,  _sit down_ , Keitaro.” She regarded the stranger coldly. “If you’ve brought dirty clothes, we can do business, but otherwise I have to ask you not to annoy my injured friend.”

"Now hold on—"

Takumi slipped in front of Mari before the situation could escalate. “Calm down, Mari. He’s here to help. Aren’t you?”

"Maybe not, if this is the sort of welcome I get! Here I am, out of the goodness of my heart, and you treat me like some kind of common freeloader."

"Yeah, yeah, c’mon inside," said Takumi, motioning him into the room. "I’ll… see what I can make."

-

Takumi’s skills in the kitchen did not extend very far beyond “boiling water” and “waiting for boiling water to cool.” He was good for his word, though, and if he said he’d feed the guy, then he’d feed the guy. His efforts yielded him rather more noodles than he expected, and basic information about their visitor: his name was Nitou Kosuke, he was indeed a Rider, and he wasn’t picky about food, with one condition.

"Haruto sent you," said Takumi, watching him drown his noodles in mayonnaise.

"Haruto doesn’t send me anywhere. He just occasionally lets me know where tasty Phantoms might be found." He peered at Takumi. "Why do you look familiar?"

"Er. I was Faiz. The Kamen Rider. Or still am, I guess, if it comes down to it. We’ve probably crossed paths at some point."

"Another Rider, eh? Well, I’ll have you know I am more than up to the challenge of another rival. What’s your specialty, anyway? Do your monsters have a name, or do you just call ‘em unknown whatevers no matter how much your wise archaeologist friends might learn? Or are you planning to start edging in on my monster territory?"

"Orphnochs," said Takumi quietly. "We’re called Orphnochs."

"And they’re not monsters," said Mari from directly behind him. Takumi hadn’t heard her enter the room, but her fingers were cool on his shoulder. "Not all of them. They’re… people who got lost."

"I’m just trying to live a normal life and protect what’s important."

"Sorry," he mumbled around a mouthful of noodles. "It’s just. Phantoms aren’t human, and they never were. I think they see people sort of like cattle. A resource to be used. And every Phantom means some unforutnate Gate who died."

That jolted Takumi out of his musings. “Did you say they kill the Gates?”

"Well, not intentionally, I guess, but it’s what happens if you don’t have me or Haruto around to stop it."

"Then it’s probably a good thing that you’re here after all," said Takumi.

-

Keitaro offered up a place to spend the night—after all, their little home had seen enough visitors since the three of them had moved in—but Kosuke insisted he preferred his nearby tent. Takumi quietly wondered if it was his way of atoning for bringing up the topic of monsters, or if he didn’t feel comfortable sleeping under the same roof as one.

Haruto apologized profusely over the phone. “I should have told you he was coming,” he said. “I’d be there myself, but your friend isn’t the only Gate in town, and anyway, Nitou was closer.”

_Just Nitou? What happened to ‘we’re all Riders?’_  Though having met the man, Takumi couldn’t blame anyone who wanted to maintain a certain distance. “It’s fine. You’re very busy, I’m sure.”

"Not so busy I can’t make a phone call. It was thoughtless of me. I’ll make it up to you."

"You really don’t have to go to the trouble."

"Trouble is fighting Phantoms and who-knows-what every day. Or dealing with Nitou without advance warning."

"Well, I won’t stop you if you insist."

"I do insist."

A moment passed while Takumi struggled with the unusual sensation of someone being nice to him without an ulterior motive. After a long pause, he said, “That was, uh, really all I had to say. Just. Making sure he wasn’t some weirdo.”

"I wouldn’t rule out the possibility just yet."

"I mean, he’s some weirdo that you sent here."

"For which I take full responsibility. No, but really, it’ll be okay. He’s definitely an odd one, but he can deal with Phantoms." A pause. "Has it come back yet?"

Yet, he said. “There’s no chance it won’t just go bother someone else?”

"If it did, would you be okay with that?" Haruto said softly. "Would you be willing to let the Phantom kill innocent Gates so long as you and your friends were safe?"

Takumi didn’t answer.

"At any rate, the answer is no. A Gate is a valuable resource: when they despair, they give birth to a new Phantom. If we’re certain that Keitaro is its target, then it’ll definitely be back to finish the job."

"So all we can do is wait."

"Pretty much."

"I think I’ll take my cue to try and get some sleep. If I can, after your encouraging words."

Haruto laughed. “Do that. And don’t doubt yourself so much.”

The line was dead before Takumi could think of an appropriately sarcastic response. Maybe when you call yourself The Final Hope you’re obligated to hand out unsolicited motivationals like that. He didn’t feel any more hopeful after the conversation, but he did feel… something. More relaxed in his worries, maybe. No less concerned about the Phantom fixated on driving Keitaro to lethal despair, but at least less panicked about it. That made sense, right?

Whatever. He resolved to get any sleep he could and not think too heavily about the intentions of flashy wizards with fancy titles.

-

None of them were ready for it. Takumi woke up to Keitaro screaming and Mari yelling at the thing to get away. He was on his feet before he could process what exactly was happening, reflexively fumbling for the phone he still kept nearby. The thing invading their home was clearly visible by a light in its stomach, but the rest of the room was all shadows and he couldn’t find his belt. He could hear noisy chanting somewhere that must be Nitou’s driver, coming closer, not close enough, not fast enough.

There wasn’t time. It was going to tear apart Mari to get to Keitaro. He was going to lose both of them.

Takumi took a deep breath and concentrated.

No matter how long it had been since the last time he used this form, it never stopped being effortlessly exhilarating, like some part of him wouldn’t let him forget that this was his true self. But he could agonize about that easiness later; now he needed speed and strength. He hit the Phantom like a train, slamming it into the nearest wall with a howl of fury. The impact barely dazed it, but he could see it quickly reassess its priorities: first, remove distractions before attending to the Gate.

Nitou finally arrived on the scene, a much more impressive figure in his golden leonine armor. He looked at Takumi, then the Phantom, back at Takumi. Then he gave a curt nod to Takumi and charged the Phantom, sword in hand.

It clearly wasn’t interested in a two-on-one fight. The Phantom made a few halfhearted swipes, just enough to keep the both of them busy, but as soon as it got close enough, it leaped out the broken window from whence it came. By the light in its belly they could see it flying away on membranous wings.

"Ahhh, what a disappointment," said Nitou as he deactivated his belt. "And he looked like a tasty one, too."

Takumi very carefully returned to human form before he spoke. “My friends are attacked in their sleep, our home is wrecked, and you call this a disappointment?”

"Look, I came here to eat that Phantom that’s got its eyes on your friend. You can’t blame me for being at least a little bit let down that it got away so quickly."

"You came here to  _what_ —” Keitaro was reaching the appropriate level of panic for repeated assault by a freaky beetle monster, but Takumi hushed him.

"You and I," Takumi clapped a hand on Nitou’s shoulder with more force than strictly necessary, "are going for a walk. Not far. We’ll keep the house in sight. Just a little fresh air. And you’re going to explain. I’ve had enough poor communication in my life."

-

When they were out of earshot, Takumi spoke. “Why, and I want you to be as precise as you can, are you here?”

"I told you, I’m just trying to find a decent bite to eat."

"You’re not talking about the sort of thing you can put that mayonnaise on."

"You could, but it wouldn’t exactly—no. I meant the Phantom."

"This is what I meant by ‘as precise as you can.’" He glared at Nitou until he volunteered more information.

"I have to eat them, okay? I don’t have magic like Haruto does. I absorb mana from Phantoms when they die, which gives me the power to fight other Phantoms. And if I don’t get enough, Chimera will eat me."

"So it would be to your benefit if we were too late to save Keitaro."

"The idea has been pointed out to me before, yes."

Takumi was silent.  _Haruto sent him. Haruto trusts him._  ”When we were fighting back there,” he said, “you didn’t see me shift, but you could tell which one was me.”

Nitou looked too shocked to respond.

"Thanks for that."

-

It waited until they had gone their separate ways, Takumi back to the house and Nitou towards wherever he’d set up camp for the night. Takumi had no warning before the Phantom dropped out of the sky onto his back. He crumpled under the weight with a sharp cry.

"Pathetic little guard dog," it spat as they both scrambled to their feet. "Just lie down and die so I can take care of your friend."

Takumi dodged when it lunged at him again, but its next attack caught him hard. It threw him into the pavement, and he felt something crunch when he landed.

The light in its belly flared as fire gathered around one hand.  _Firebug_ , he thought, remembering translucent wings. And,  _I was only ever going to be ash anyway_. In the moment, the thought seemed hilarious. He shut his eyes against the impending flames.

Warmth washed over him. Death by fire was remarkably less painful than he had expected; the heat was merely uncomfortable. He opened his eyes to see the flames fan out around an invisible figure crouching over him protectively. The shape flickered, and he was looking directly into the mask of Kamen Rider Beast.

"Do you have a death wish?!" said Nitou. "You can’t fight it like this! Transform!"

"I can’t, I don’t have the belt!"

Nitou shuddered as he stood. “You didn’t need a belt before,” he said.

"That was to save Keitaro and Mari."

"And?!" He deflected another blast away from Takumi. "What the hell is wrong with you that you’ll fight to save your friends, but you won’t transform to save your own life?"

Because they’re worth it, he wanted to say. Because they deserve better.

"You can’t do anything for anyone if you’re dead!"

There it was. There was one truth he couldn’t deny, the one source of self-preservation he couldn’t give up. Somewhere he found the stregnth to lift his aching body off the ground. He let the gray flow over him and overtake his humanity.

The Phantom shrieked when it saw it was once more facing off against two capable opponents. “I’m going to see both of you burn,” it snarled, spreading its wings. It hurled one last fireball at them as it rose into the sky, easily vanishing in darkness and smoke.

They both collapsed panting as they dropped their transformations. Takumi could feel a throbbing with each breath on the side that had hit concrete. Looking over at Nitou, he could see the younger man had taken significant damage from the fire.

"How did you…?" was all Takumi could manage.

"It obviously doesn’t like being outnumbered. Figured it might try to even the odds as little by taking you out as soon as I left, so I followed you. Invisibility. It’s a pretty sweet trick." He tried to grin, but it came off as more of a grimace.

"Why? If you had been a little bit later…" He let the implication hang in the air.

"And deliver the sad news to your lady friend all by myself? No, no, I think we’ll get along much better if I can tell her how I heroically saved you from certain death."

"You’re wasting your time. She doesn’t… she doesn’t like…"

"Doesn’t like men?"

Takumi laughed despite the sharp pain in his side. “She doesn’t date Riders.” Especially Riders like Nitou, but he could spare the guy his pride just this once.

"Well, you can’t blame a guy for trying. Still, I don’t want to see her angry again any time soon. Or get the puppy-dog eyes from your friend in need."

_The Gate who could’ve been all yours if you had left me,_  he thought. Another tasty Phantom just waiting to be born. That firebug hadn’t had a bad idea in attacking Takumi—if it had been successful, it probably would have been a good step towards leading Keitaro to despair. He’d have to remember that next time, that for whatever reason, Keitaro counted him as valuable even if he didn’t. Out loud, he said, “We’d better get inside. They’ll be worried.”

-

Keitaro met them on the front steps. “You’re hurt!” he said as they neared the house.

"I’m fine," said Takumi with a wince. "I’ve had worse."

"I’m also fine, since nobody asked," said Nitou.

"We could hear the fight," Mari said quietly.

"I was so worried about you!"

"Ow, Keitaro, get off me, I’m injured."

"Sorry, sorry, I’m just. I’m glad you’re okay. Both of you."

Takumi managed a weak smile. “I’m glad you’re okay, too.”

"Really, though. I could never forgive myself if, y’know. If anything happened to you. For my sake. This home means everything to me."

Nitou groaned. “I really wish you hadn’t said that.” Silently they realized the significance of what Keitaro had said.

This time, Takumi heard it before he saw it: a bee-like buzzing that he recognized just in time to grab Mari and Keitaro to shield them from the blast.

"I’m burning this miserable shack to the ground!" the Firebug shrieked. The second blast hit the house, and the third, and the fourth. There was no way either he or Nitou could cover the entire building. The supernatural flames took to the wood quickly.

"It’s okay, I’m here, Mari’s here, we’re all okay, Keitaro, look at me." Takumi crouched over him while Nitou went through his transformation behind them. He tried to direct Keitaro’s vision away, tried to get him to focus, but he could see the fire reflected in his eyes.

"Our home…" said Keitaro. Without a thought, Takumi shifted to his lupine form and hurled himself at the Firebug.

It spared just an instant in its fight with Nitou to land a single punch to his cracked ribs.

Takumi hit the gruond wheezing, too hurt to move, wolfish features crumbling away. From where he lay, he could see Keitaro watching in stunned horror, but he couldn’t see how Nitou was faring. He heard the slice of the Dice Saber against Phantom flesh, but more often he heard blow after blow hit Nitou’s armor, heard him switch from one ring to the next looking for some kind of advantage against the thing.

The heat was already unbearable in the street; he could only imagine how agonizing it must be where Nitou was fighting. He could hear Mari trying to warn the neighbors.  _It must be spreading._

"Fire!" she yelled. "Help, fire!"

"Flame," said another voice, "please!"

He couldn’t see the new arrival, but he knew that voice, just as he knew the next one calmly announcing, “It’s showtime!”

Someone lifted and carried him to where Mari was doing her best to protect Keitaro. He looked relatively unhurt, but he stared at the fire without moving, and Takumi could see a fine network of cracks spreading across his skin. He reached out weakly for Keitaro’s hand, and Mari took both of their hands in heres.  _We’re here. We’re okay. No matter what else, we’re all here._

From where he was sitting now, Takumi had a better view of the fight itself. He had seen Haruto fight before, of course, but that had been different, a war of so many Riders against so many more, and him preoccupied by Kusaka’s shade rising up from the afterlife. This was nothing like that; this was Haruto purely in his element, channeling all of Dragon’s power, fighting two-on-one against his prey of choice. With the Flame ring, he ripped the fire from the building and flung it at the Phantom; with Water, he drowned the flame in its belly that fueld it. He owned the earth when it tried to hide, and he owned the winds when it tried to flee. And for all their talk of rivalry, he and Nitou moved fluidly as a team.

Takumi was used to ash, but the Firebug died more dramatically. Nitou landed the finishing blow, rolling a solid five on his sword. With his belt devouring the last of the Phantom’s energy, not even ash was left behind.

Haruto and Nitou hurried over to join the small group huddled around Keitaro.

"He won’t speak," said Mari. "But I thought you got here in time. We can fix the house, or find a new one. What we had was always more than just the house."

"Despair isn’t logical. But fortunately, neither is hope." Haruto held up a ring that Takumi had never seen before. "Would you like to do the honors, Nitou?"

"I told you, putting rings on dudes isn’t really my style."

"Don’t say I didn’t offer. Lucky for the both of you, I’m a bit more flexible." His face was hidden by the jewel-like mask, but Takumi could have sworn he winked. "Now, this is a very touching scene, but I’m going to need his hand."

Mari looked like she was about to protest, but she let go of Keitaro’s hand. Takumi had barely been holding it to begin with. Haruto gently lifted it and slid the ring onto one finger. He looked back to Nitou.

"Make yourself useful while I’m gone, why don’t you? Dolphin could probably help our friend here."

"It’s all work and no gratitude, isn’t it?" said Nitou, but Haruto had already vanished into a strange portal over Keitaro.

Mari tried very hard not to look surprised. “Where…?”

"He’s in Keitaro’s personal Underworld, fighting the phantom that other critter was trying to unleash." He donned another ring as he spoke, the cape on his shoulder changing colors. He gestured at Takumi, and a cool sensation washed over his body. It still hurt to breathe, hurt to move, but not so much that he couldn’t speak.

"You told me you have to eat Phantoms," was the first thing he said as Nitou let his armor dissipate.

"What, did you miss all the action? That was a spicy one, let me tell you."

"But you turned him down. You could’ve had another one."

"You heard me. Not that your friend isn’t good-looking, but he’s just not my type. Besides, it’s no good being rivals with a guy who always loses."

"And if it’s a long time until you find another Phantom?" said Mari, catching on quickly.

Nitou shrugged. “Then it wouldn’t make much difference if I’d eaten both of htem. Look, I can’t know something like that. All I can do is live my life one day at a time.”

Takumi thought suddenly of Mari’s father crumbling into dust and wondered about the invisible clock ticking for him. “Sounds awfully risky,” he said.

"But full of opportunity," said Nitou with a grin. "After all, a pinch is a chance!"

That much  _definitely_  didn’t make sense. Despair and hope weren’t logical, but apparently neither was one Nitou Kosuke. Haruto must be a terrible influence.

As if on cue, the cracks on Keitaro’s face sealed up with a sound like the pause between thunder and lightning. Haruto appeared beside them looking decidedly tired, but no worse for the wear. He dropped his transformation as Keitaro opened his eyes.

"Normally this is the part where I say something dramatic about being your hope," he said, and he smiled as he looked at Mari and Takumi, "but it looks like you’ve got your friends here to do that."

"I’d say your entrance was probably dramatic enough."

"Takkun!" squeaked Keitaro.

Mari shot a glare at Takumi. “He  _saved our lives_. Yours, too.”

"I’m just saying, he could’ve got here sooner."

"I—" Haruto gaped and fumbled for words for a moment before he saw Takumi’s small smile. "You’re making fun of me."

"I’m making fun of you."

"Right, well, um." He turned to look at the remains of the house. It was already morning, the rising sun showing the extent of the damage. It hadn’t burned to the ground as threatened, but it would take some work to make it into the laundry it had been. The three on the ground struggled to their feet.

"We can’t stay here tonight," said Keitaro slowly.

"I can probably manage to fit three at my place," said Haruto. "For the time being, anyway, not forever."

"It’s a lot of damage. I don’t. I don’t know how we’ll…" He looked on the verge of tears. Takumi tentatively rested one arm on his shoulders, and that apparently opened the floodgates. Keitaro sobbed and shook against him while Takumi tried to figure out what you’re supposed to do with someone having a much-deserved cry.

Just then, a car pulled up, sending the five of them scurrying out of the road. It stopped directly behind Keitaro’s van, and an older gentleman poked his head out the window.

"I was in the area; I suppose it’s too early to pick up my order," he said.

"No, of course not," said Keitaro automatically, stifling a sniff. "It’s never too—oh. No, I, I’m very sorry, the fire…"

The man seemed to notice the state of the building for the first time. “My clothes were in there, weren’t they.”

"I’m sorry, sir, they’re probably, I’ll reimburse you if there’s any, I’m so sorry—"

"He cut Keitaro off with a gesture. "Nonsense. They’re just clothes. Would you buy me new clothes if it was my place that caught fire?"

"He probably would," said Takumi. "He can’t stop himself from that sort of thing."

The man squinted at Keitaro. “You’re the one who found my wife’s dog.”

"Er."

"And you helped my boys put up the fence when I was sick."

"…Yes."

"I heard you stopped that creep years ago who was breaking into homes and cleaning them or something."

"That was actually—" Keitaro started, but Mari interrupted quickly.

"That was absolutely our friend Keitaro here. It’s almost a nuisance how helpful he is."

"By all means, let me return the favor. My boys aren’t children anymore, the oldest just got married, and I know some people who can probably take care of the worst of it…"

Takumi tried to follow the conversation, but Haruto was steering him away.

"Mari and Keitaro can handle it from here, and to be entirely honest, you look kind of creepy just watching in your, uh, current very singed and bloodied state. It’s a nice morning, all things considered. Let’s walk."

-

"Thank you, I think," said Takumi when they had gone a short ways.

"You looked lost and more than a little miserable."

"I have every right to be miserable, Mr. Very Busy Wizard."

"Nitou’s not that bad, is he?"

"He is absolutely that bad!"

"And as I have told you over and over, I’ll make it up to you. Dinner. On me. Approximately twelve hours of tolerating Nitou deserves at least that much."

Oh. He hadn’t realized Haruto would actually follow through. “Are all wizards so fixated on food?”

"Hey, using magic really works up an appetite. Or did you have something else in mind?"

"Um." There was something unnerving about his openness. "Not really. Nothing too hot."

"Sure. Whatever and whenever you want. Though preferably after you get a decent rest. I doubt you slept at all last night, Dead Man Walking."

Takumi choked out a laugh and Haruto smiled smugly. When he recovered, Takumi said, “Should we be getting back to Mari and Keitaro?”

"Nitou knows where I live," said Haruto airily. "He can take them when they’re done talking. Why, did you want to?"

"No, no. This is. This is nice, just walking."

"I think so too."


	2. empty in the valley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haruto treats Takumi, as promised to No Hot Food, and Takumi is deliberately contrary.

"You know, when I said whatever…"

"I feel weird about a younger guy buying me dinner, okay?"

"And you said nothing hot…"

"Is there a problem?"

"Takumi, it’s November!"

"Hey, I like ice cream!"

"So do I! In the summer. Early fall, even. Inside, maybe. But it’s a little chilly to be walking around with ice cream in the middle of winter."

"November is not the middle of winter. November is barely the start of winter."

"It’s cold, Takumi."

"Sorry. Dead Man Walking doesn’t notice the cold. Magic up yourself a little heat."

"I’m not setting things on fire. There are people."

"You would if there was a monster."

"There’s not a monster here."

"Boo." Takumi bumped into Haruto just enough to push his ice cream into his face. "Despair."

"Can’t. Final Hope, remember?"

"The Final Hope has got ice cream on his nose."

"I was attacked. Did you know there’s a monster out here?"

Takumi smiled but didn’t laugh. It was good to be able to joke about it, but there were still people who could hear.

"How’s the house?" said Haruto abruptly. Takumi jumped on the change of topic.

"It’s… good. Almost finished, I think. Some people are coming to help repaint this weekend, and we’re already open for business again."

"So soon?"

Takumi shrugged. “As bad as it looked, the fire didn’t actually get to burn very long, thanks again. And it turns out that when you spend ten years helping people, they’re pretty eager to help back.”

"Is that so." His voice was completely deadpan, but he peered over at Takumi with a little smile. Takumi scowled.

"I meant Keitaro."

"Of course," said Haruto serenely. Then, "The ice cream vendor is like you, isn’t she?"

Takumi didn’t ask what “like him” meant. “How can you tell?”

Haruto held up his cone. “She only charged us for one.” He licked his ice cream in one slow movement.

"You’re obscene."

"Says the guy who wants ice cream in November."

"You’re the one who just got vanilla. You could’ve at least tried one of the other flavors."

"Hey, I’m a man of simple tastes," he said defensively. "Vanilla has to be good if it’s going to go with everything else. Try it." He thrust his cone into Takumi’s face.

Takumi hesitated. This was the sort of thing girls blushed about in high school dramas, wasn’t it? Some nonsense about an indirect kiss, and all Nitou’s comments about rings and flexibility. But that was ridiculous. For one thing, he couldn’t take anything the other mage said seriously, and for another, they weren’t schoolgirls. And Haruto was exactly the sort of person who would claim his bland preferences had some kind of greater significance.

He took a bite. Haruto was right—it was good. He hadn’t properly appreciated vanilla ice cream on its own before. He mentally braced himself for the impending lecture about how one must perfect the basics before adding anything else, or—

Haruto’s hand was swift and light at the back of his head, pushing his face into the ice cream. “You!” Takumi sputtered.

"Turnabout is fair play. Just doing my duty as a Rider."

"I think you’re probably doing a better job than I am."

"Why do you say that?"

Suddenly he was remembering.  _Why does such a hollow person get to live?_  ”It means there’s a long list of people who deserve to call themselves Riders before I do.”

Haruto frowned. “You’re thinking about him again.”

"Of course I’m thinking about him again!" Takumi threw down the his ice cream and instantly regretted it, but he kept going. "Am I supposed to forget?"

"Well, no, but you put these kinds of thoughts aside."

"What would you know about that?"

"Takumi, I watched my parents die in front of me! "

"And you just put that thought aside."

"Generally, yes. I don’t know how else I’d function."

"Back when we first met, you made that grandiose statement about being my hope. You’ve probably said that to dozens of people you thought were hopeless, but do you ever think about what it actually means?"

"I, uh. It means I’m here for you."

"Are you? Do you think hope is as simple as announcing to strangers that they’re okay?" Takumi paused and took a few deep breaths to focus, to sort out his words. "When a Gate despairs, a Phantom is born and they die, right?"

"Er, yes. That’s. Generally how that works," said Haruto slowly.

"What happens to everyone else?"

"I don’t follow."

"What happens when someone who isn’t a Gate gives in to despair? Or someone who isn’t a Gate anymore. Or maybe it isn’t exactly despair, but it’s something else, feeling numb, or afraid, or the constant certainty that you’ll never be enough. Then what?"

Haruto didn’t answer. Takumi continued, voice low and insistent.

"Everyone else died int hat ritual because we aren’t all like you. If I were a Gate, I’d be dead already. And when someone says that’s what I deserve, even if it was years ago, even if he was cruel and a liar and only wanted to hurt me, I can’t just not think about it. It doesn’t matter if I know he’s wrong. I will still always believe it. Because I don’t have whatever it was that saved you then."

"I’m sorry," said Haruto quietly when Takumi finally stopped. "I… was didn’t mean to sound so cavalier."

Takumi stared at the remains of his ice cream on the ground. “It’s cold out here. Let’s go inside.”

"Let’s."

-

The warm interior of Omokagedo was a welcome change of scenery. Haruto moved automatically to make tea, as though Takumi were a new guest, as though he hadn’t stayed there with Keitaro and Mari while their house was unlivable. Takumi sat on the couch and sulked.

"This was a stupid idea."

"Hm?" Haruto shuffled into the room carrying two cups. Takumi narrowed his eyes at the steam until Haruto produced a ring from his collection and, with a wave of his hand, sent a small breeze to Takumi’s cup.

"That’s a convenient little trick," Takumi said, watching suspiciously, but he accepted the tea. It was warm, especially compared to the chill outside, but it wasn’t so hot that he couldn’t tolerate it.

"Isn’t it?" Haruto smiled as he sat down beside him. "I thought you’d seen that one."

"You’re just full of surprises," Takumi said flatly.

"Well, you know, a wizard is supposed to be mysterious."

"A wizard is a pain in the ass, you mean."

"I’m sure lots of people would agree with you. But you were saying?"

Takumi stared at his reflection in the cup. “Just. It was stupid. Getting angry so fast. And. Ice cream in winter. It was kind of a joke, anyway. I didn’t think you’d go for it.”

"I told you I would." Haruto’s unfalteringly mild expression was impossible to read, but he looked down and adopted a more serious tone. "It’s not really about ice cream, you know. I just wanted an excuse to see you."

"Me?" Takumi sputtered.

Haruto nodded. “Because… you’re right. I don’t know what it really means to be someone’s hope, in a normal context, without the immediate threat of a Phantom. All I can do is try to make sure you’re still okay.”

"I’m  _fine.”_

"Are you?"

_A hollow thing…_  “Do you ever think about how unfair it is that so many people died, but you got amazing powers instead?”

"Of course."

"Do you ever think it’s your fault they died?"

"I know it’s not."

"But sometimes you think so."

"I know it isn’t true, I had nothing to do with that, there was nothing I could have done. It wasn’t my fault, I didn’t do it." The words spilled out in a rush, and when he stopped himself, he saw Takumi watching intently.

"That’s what it means. Sometimes hope is repeating those things that we know, but that we can’t believe."

"I… can do that."

"Don’t get too ahead of yourself. So far, Keitaro’s doing a better job."

"Keitaro?"

"What, did you actually buy my line about making the world’s laundry pure white?" Takumi almost smiled. "The guy’s an irritatingly endless source of good cheer."

Haruto hazarded a joke. “Does that mean I have competition?”

"Sure," he said with a roll of his eyes. "A competition to see who can make the happiest monster. I will be truly impressed if you lose to Keitaro even though he’s got a head start and years of practice."

"I’ll take that as a statement of good faith."

"That’s not what I meant at all."

Haruto ignored the remark. “Let’s do this again, okay? Properly, though. A real dinner, as I had originally offered. A re-do.”

"Are you entirely sure about that? It’s not like I get much friendlier."

"I could insist again."

Takumi threw his hands up in mock protest. “Anything but that! Alright. I suppose I can let you buy me dinner. So long as there isn’t any more hope talk. I’ve said my bit and now I’ve had enough of that for the next ten years.”

Haruto laughed. “Got it. Absolutely no hope talk. Are we on?”

"Sure," said Takumi reluctantly.

"Great. I’ll figure out when and where, and then I’ll call you."

"Don’t get too excited, I haven’t even left yet. Still have to finish my tea."

"Well?"

Takumi frowned. “It’s gone cold.”

"Let me show you another magic trick."


	3. lonely and strong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haruto's second attempt at treating Takumi turns into a surprise trip to visit the dadliest of Riders.

Takumi half hoped that Haruto would forget to call him. He didn’t want to see his smiling face, calmly telling him everything was going to be okay when he couldn’t believe a word of it. He was comfortable being miserable. He had a routine. Laundry was repetitive, and if Keitaro was constantly promising to help their clients with some new disaster, it was never anything outside his abilities. He had even learned to smile at customers.

But Haruto did call, and Takumi didn’t tell him to shove his self-righteous hope sermon where the Connect ring couldn’t find it. Instead, he said yes, of course, yes he’s free on Saturday, was this some kind of fancy attire place? Haruto assured him it was not, and would he like a ride or would he rather meet him there.

Takumi had seen Haruto’s transportation of choice, rather standard Rider equipment. It didn’t look like a passenger vehicle. He asked Haruto for directions.

He got lost three times on his way, and he was about to give up and go home when Haruto called him again.

"It’s not a problem," said Haruto. "Go back the direction you came, but turn left at the light this time."

"I told you, I already went that way, there’s nothing there."

"Trust me."

Takumi knew Haruto couldn’t see him scowl through the phone, but he did anyway. Maybe one of his familiars would relay the expression. He put his phone away and backtracked to the stoplight in question, turned left, and—

There it was. A simple-looking diner where he was reasonably certain there had been a dead end. Haruto was waiting politely in front while he parked his bike.

"Where do you  _find_  these places?” Takumi muttered as Haruto gestured him through the door.

"I know some people."

"Strange people."

"You have no idea."

-

The diner was sparsely populated except for a raucous collection of young men that kept the solitary waitress constantly distracted. Friends of hers, apparently. It should have been annoying, but Takumi was relieved to know everyone’s attention was firmly elsewhere.

"So. You know people," said Takumi as they settled at a table.

"It happens. You know how it is in this line of work. Sometimes you can’t help meeting people, and sometimes they know a nice little place where two people can share a meal without anyone overhearing any offhand remarks about monsters."

"You couldn’t have known that crowd would be here."

"Who knows? I’m the mysterious wizard here." Haruto waved his fingers, and Takumi let out an audible groan.

"Let me guess. They’re ‘people.’"

"I might have met them once or twice before," Haruto confessed. "You might have met at least one of them."

Hints clicked into place. “More Riders,” he said, looking away. Fantastic. The last people he wanted to interact with.

"Not… exactly. Close enough."

"Haruto, I’m not interested in hanging out with some kind of Popular Heroes Club. I thought you said you weren’t going to pull something like that."

"I said no hope talk. Didn’t you ever read about wizards as a kid? Notoriously tricky lot." Takumi glared with the intensity of a sullen child until Haruto relented. "Alright, alright. But in seriousness, I really did choose this place because they’re nearly always here, and they tend to make everyone else practically invisible. It’s not somewhere I would meet someone for a quiet conversation, but I, you know. Thought you might appreciate it."

"If you say so."

-

The waitress eventually broke away from her friends to take their oder, and Haruto steered their conversation as far away as he could from the topic of heroics by telling Takumi about his brief arrest (and subsequent jailbreak). He moved from there to describing Shunpei’s latest antics, and Takumi quickly joined in to trade Shunpei Stories for Kaidou Stories (guest starring Keitaro). It was… not as stressful as Takumi generally considered social interaction to be. He had yet to meet a Rider who wasn’t intimidating in some way, but when all the transformation gadgets went away, Haruto was just a guy with simple interests who occasionally found himself in ridiculous situations. And he already knew the worst of Takumi’s secrets. Takumi had nothing to lose, so long as he didn’t bring up the topic…

“‘Popular Heroes Club,’ though, really?” said Haruto nearer to closing time.

"Well, just look at them." Takumi gestured to the brightly colored crowd shuffling out the door, bidding goodbye to the waitress. One in a red jacket flashed a peace sign at Haruto. "And you! All you Riders are young, attractive, likeable sorts."

"Thanks, I think. Wait, no, ‘you Riders?’ We’re all Riders."

"I don’t have anything in common with the rest of you, and I’d rather not be reminded how much flashier everyone else is."

"Flashy? Takumi, have you seen what Faiz looks like?"

"I was a little distracted. See, someone else had my gear. Not my finest moment."

"Take my word that Faiz is definitely flashy."

"Okay, so sometimes I wear an ugly belt that turns me into a walking glowstick rave. Are the requirements to being a Rider so… literal?"

Haruto actually had the audacity to laugh. “Sorry, I’m not laughing at… well. It’s just. If you knew him, you’d get why it’s funny that you say it like that.”

"Him?"

Haruto nodded. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but will you let me introduce you? He’s… not what anyone expects. We could go tomorrow, even.”

Takumi sighed dramatically. He should stop agreeing every time Haruto invited him somewhere, even if it was just for the excuse to get out of the house. He didn’t have a good reason to say no, but that certainly hadn’t stopped him from saying no to a variety of suggestions in the past, and they just kept coming back to the same arguments.  _I’m going to turn him down_ , he thought.  _I’m going to say no, and tomorrow I will sleep until noon, and I will accomplish absolutely nothing all day. I will certainly not indulge him on another ridiculous request._  ”Fine,” he heard himself say.”

-

When Takumi was younger, when Smart Brain and the Lucky Clover lurked behind every mystery, he had been reasonably certain he was alone. The Faiz gear and its siblings had been a miraculous novelty, unique in their power. There had been a period of chaos after the fall of Smart Brain, a reshuffling of allegiances. The Lucky Clover left behind a gaping power vacuum, and Takumi had worked with Kaidou and Mihara to close it, to make it entirely clear to the remaining Orphnochs that there was not going to be any more killing. And then there was peace, and Takumi spent his days cleaning laundry and forgetting entirely about powered suits of armor.

A few years later, that changed. Takumi returned to the laundry after a delivery and discovered it had abruptly transformed into a photo studio. He met a man who was just passing through, and he heard the words “Kamen Rider” for the first time. The photo studio didn’t stay. The name did.

After that, the world became a lot smaller and a lot stranger. Not even Mari could find the ORE Journal website. He quietly pocketed the jokers from every deck of cards. Sometimes he heard Denliner pulling into an invisible station nearby. He knew his Japan had never been devastated by a game of murders, but in his wallet he had the card for the man with 2000 skills. He heard rumors, heroes on motorcycles with superhuman strength. There were other worlds with other Riders, and sometimes the barriers between them were thin.

Time did strange things there. He could half-remember a war. He dreamed about it sometimes, the Psyga and Orga armors fighting alongside him with the Dragon Orphnoch, the Centipede, the Rose, all his oldest enemies, and sometimes they were fighting against other Riders he couldn’t name, but usually they were just fighting the one. He was pretty sure they lost. He knew it was impossible. He knew it happened and not-happened, and that there was some version of himself who died there.

But the other worlds apparently only reliably existed for Riders, and only under the right circumstances. He tried calling Kenzaki from a pay phone late one night and got the line for a Brazilian radio station. He started keeping the Faiz phone with him like it was his Rider identification card, and keeping note of when the wind shifted just so, as if whispering, The Destroyer of Worlds walked here.

So he knew that when Haruto led him down a narrow alley onto a different version of the street they had just left that they were slipping between those boundaries, just as when the diner had been where he was very certain it wasn’t. It seemed logical in its own way that a wizard might be sensitive to that sort of thing. The two of them being in the same place already brought the other worlds closer. Takumi wondered if there was some rule limiting the number of Riders in each universe, and whether they were breaking it by meeting again and again.

They stopped by a cozy shop for millet dumplings, and Haruto spoke briefly with one of the women working there. “We’re going into the mountains,” he said as they left the shop. “C’mon, you can ride with me.” He pulled Machine Winger from a glowing Connect portal.

"I really don’t think so," said Takumi, dialing a number on his phone.

"Are you dialing a taxi just so we don’t have to share a bike? Takumi, don’t be childish about this, it’s only practical…" His voice trailed off at the sound of a strange engine drawing nearer.

AutoVaijin landed with a metallic thump next to them, and at a gesture, reassembled itself into a motorcycle. Takumi gave Haruto a smug look. “I’ve got a few tricks, too, magic man.”

"I… see. Well, put on your helmet and let’s get going. I want to arrive before dark."

-

Takumi followed Haruto far, far out of the city, down long roads stretched out under the sun. He longed to take off his helmet, to feel the wind in his hair (even as short as it was now, a fine example of Mari’s handiwork), but he suspected Haruto wouldn’t approve. Not like it should matter. They were miles away from any safety authorities now, and it wasn’t like he could be hurt that easily. But Haruto didn’t slow or show any signs of stopping, so he said nothing. They were Kamen Riders, or so he was told. They were riding.

Eventually their trek took them to a winding path that cut through the heavily forested mountainside. Haruto stopped often, consulting his little familiars for directions until a new creature dropped out of the sky to join them. It was strange artificial bird with a cry that grated on Takumi’s nerves, but Haruto smiled when he saw it, watching it fly in lazy circles over their heads. They followed it a short distance off the path, walking their bikes through the forest until they came to a small campsite. As they came closer, Takumi could see a figure on a folding chair, heating a pot over a struggling fire. Haruto put one finger to his lips and waved a ringed hand.

The man nearly jumped out of his chair when the fire tripled in size. He looked up to see Haruto smiling and Takumi smothering a laugh. “Oi, Haruto. I guess you saw I needed a little magic. Who’s your friend?”

Haruto dipped his head and smiled with more genuine warmth than mischief. “Good to see you’re well, Hibiki. This is Inui Takumi, or as you’ve more likely heard him called, Kamen Rider Faiz.”

"Nice to meet you," Takumi mumbled. He was sure he knew that name from somewhere. Hearing his full Rider title jolted his memory to legions of brightly colored armor on those battlefields that never were. He dimly remembered a massive gleaming motorcycle parked outside the cafe where they had stopped. One of them, then.

"Another Kamen Rider, eh?" He smiled like he was sharing some private joke. "Well, then. We Riders have got to stick together." There was something about the way he said "Rider," almost derisively.

"Are you… Kamen Rider Hibiki, then?"

"Just Hibiki," he said mildly. "Always just Hibiki." It was an odd sort of name for a Rider, and an even odder name for a man.

Takumi could feel Haruto’s growing amusement beside him. Whatever the joke was, he was in on it. Takumi looked over their new acquaintance.

Hibiki-just-Hibiki was older than almost any Rider Takumi had met. He wondered if he was part of that stern generation that called themselves the Showa Riders, but he hadn’t seen any of them since the last time Decade passed through. He wasn’t as stiff as them, anyway. He was too sure, too casual. Takumi felt like they had stumbled across a friendly stranger’s vacation site.

Haruto coughed politely. “This little guy helped us find you,” he said, indicating the bird still circling overhead.

"Ah, I was missing one," said Hibiki. The bird flew down to him with another atonal cry and twisted itself into a disc. He spun it on a folded device, eliciting a cacophony of strange noises that apparently held some kind of meaning, and Hibiki’s expression darkened. "Looks like we’ll have to save the pleasantries. I suppose you two can fend for yourselves, but be prepared for anything."

-

"Haruto," said Takumi, stomping his way through the foliage.

"Yes?" Takumi wasn’t sure if it was his age, his magic, or his innate ability to irritate that accounted for the easy way Haruto slipped between the trees after Hibiki, but he suspected the wizard was showing off. Again.

"This is not how I was expecting to spend my day."

"…Ah," said Haruto reluctantly. "I should. Probably warn you that we may have to spend the night."

"Haruto, I don’t know what you do with your spare time, but I have a job."

"I’m sure Keitaro and Mari can manage one day without you."

"I’m sure Keitaro and Mari would have liked to know that when I left."

"Well, there’s exactly one of us who’s permanently attached to his cell phone."

Hibiki held up his hand to silence them. They had come to a break in the trees at the edge of a glistening lake. The entire peaceful scene looked like it belonged in a painting.

Then, with an echoing noise like grinding metal, something enormous lunged at them, a creature like a crab the size of a comfortable house. Haruto and Takumi both ducked back behind the treeline, but Hibiki leaped forward with surprising grace, rolled beneath the thing’s massive pincers, and brandished something like an ornate tuning fork. He struck it against one hand and held it up to his brow.

Takumi had never heard anything like. He had watched Kaidou agonize over the precise pitch of one string until it no longer clashed with the tuning fork he’d snitched from the university, but it hadn’t produced a tone like this. This was clear and pure, like his bones were resonating in harmony. It wasn’t exactly unpleasant, but it was an intensely strange sensation.

He was so distracted by the sound that he almost missed the transformation. Purple flames enveloped Hibiki’s body, completely concealing him for a moment, and when they dissipated, he wore the form that Takumi remembered seeing once or twice before. He drew a pair of oversized drumsticks from their holster on his back and charged the beast.

Takumi was in awe. Hibiki was unmistakably a Kamen Rider, but he didn’t meet any of the requirements that Takumi knew of. He had no belt. He did not announce his transformation with the familiar shout (and as he thought about it, Takumi wasn’t sure why he felt the need to yell when he activated the Faiz gear. It had always just seemed right). He didn’t even have a suit—his armor was his own transformed skin, and when he dodged too slowly, he bled.

And he did not call himself a Kamen Rider.

He jumped when he felt Haruto’s hand on his shoulder. “As nice as it is to watch you figure things out, it’s not safe to just stand here.” He nodded to one side of the fight taking place between Hibiki and the monstrous crab, where two not-exactly-people were approaching. “Please tell me you brought your belt.”

Takumi unbuttoned his coat to show that he had, in fact, managed to wear the unwieldy belt as if it were an ordinary article of clothing. “This thing is uncomfortable as hell, but you’re too dangerous to be around to take the chance.”

Haruto held up his ringed hand with a flourish. “Shall we?”

"After you." Takumi gestured forward with the Faiz phone.

"Oh no, age before beauty."

"Hey!" said Takumi, but Haruto was alrady running ahead, laughing as he activated his driver.

For a moment, Takumi was afraid, thinking of all the accessories he had left at home. The belt alone had been difficult to bring with him, and the crab-thing looked formidable. And yet Hibiki fought it as though he regularly faced off against enemies this size.

The two human-shaped creatures turned out to be even less of a threat. He could see how a lone fighter might have trouble defeating the crab with the others as interference, and they could certainly be dangerous to civilians. But against two experienced fighters—two Kamen Riders—they didn’t stand a chance.

Haruto waited until Takumi had finished off one of them to defeat his own target, then drew his attention to the larger fight taking place. “You’ll want to watch this,” he said, expression unreadable behind the mask.

Takumi suspected Hibiki knew he was being watched, but the performance was no less amazing. He had somehow made his way to the crab’s back and placed something small and round there. It expanded into an enormous circular emblem hovering over the creature just in front of where Hibiki was perched, like a target. _Or a drum._  Takumi realized why Hibiki carried such an unconventional weapon. He began to play.

Every other sound seemed to cease. The drumbeats had the same piercing quality as the tuning fork, but amplified a thousand times. Takumi thought he could feel every cell in his body vibrating in time with the beat, like he was connected to the earth as one pulsing being. He nearly forgot to breathe. He looked over at Haruto in slow motion, but it was impossible to tell if he was similarly affected.

Hibiki finished playing.

Takumi was starting to wonder if Orphnochs were the only thing in his world or any other that did not explode when they died.

Hibiki sprinted over to them, only his face visible, but clearly exhausted. “Yo,” he said between breaths. “Ah, nice work, I think. This isn’t as easy alone as it used to be, yeah? Let’s. Head back to camp. It’ll be getting dark soon.”

-

Haruto’s prediction had been correct; by the time they made it to the campsite, it was much too late to think about riding home. Instead, Hibiki produced an extra tent from his van. It was small, but it could fit two. With his excursion ending soon, he also had plenty of food to share: simple fare, things easily heated over the fire, but filling and nutritious all the same. Unfortunately, this meant it was also very hot when Hibiki presented them with generous servings.

"I think I’m going to call it a night," said Haruto as he stood and stretched. "Magic’s tiring work, even a little, you know. Unless you weren’t going to finish that?" He peered innocently at Takumi’s still-mostly-full bowl.

"I’ll finish it just fine, I had to wait for it to cool." Takumi eyed Haruto warily as he retreated into the spare tent.

And Takumi was left alone with a Rider he had just met.

At first, they passed they passed the time in relative quiet. Takumi slowly finished his meal, blowing on every bite. Hibiki hummed a little song as he put away his travel cooking set. When Takumi was done, Hibiki finally spoke.

"I corrected you earlier, when you called me. That other name."

“‘M sorry, ” Takumi mumbled.

"No, no, you weren’t wrong," Hibiki said quickly. "How to put this… to be honest, it’s a strange name, and I’m not sure I like it. But I won’t deny that there’s something connecting me to people like you and Haruto."

"I guess so."

Hibiki shifted, cleared his throat. “You boys did a good job with the Douji and the Hime out there. Thanks for that help.”

Takumi shrugged. “Seemed the reasonable thing to do.”

"You could have run away." It wasn’t an accusation. "Probably a more sensible reaction, don’t you think? My monsters are hardly your responsibility."

"What if you couldn’t handle all of them? What if you got hurt?"

"Are you that concerned for someone you’ve just met?"

"It doesn’t matter! Besides, protecting people is just sort of what I do."

Hibiki nodded sagely. “I think that’s what we all do.”

_Would you be okay with that?_  Haruto had asked.  _Would you be willing to let the Phantom kill innocent Gates so long as you and your friends were safe?_  He hadn’t had the chance to respond then, but the more he thought about it, the more certain he was of his answer.

"What you choose to call yourself is a personal decision. I was not always called Hibiki. But I think that instinct to protect is what makes you undeniably a part of this strange group called Kamen Riders."

"If you say so." He’d meant it to sound sarcastic, but Hibiki’s words were genuniely reassuring. If Hibiki didn’t exactly fit the mold, maybe there was room for him as well.

"Well, that’s enough introspection for one night," said Hibiki abruptly. "I’ll see you in the morning, yeah?"

"Er, yeah." Takumi watched him disappear into the unoccupied tent and slowly realized that there was not a third one. He was going to have to share.

Staying outside was not an option. It was warm by the fire, but everywhere else had quickly become too cold to sleep. Rationally, there was only one solution. He scowled and made his way to Haruto’s tent.

It was small, but there was room enough for two, especially since Haruto was apparently one of those people who slip effortlessly into unconsciousness without any tossing and turning. He was neatly arranged on on side of the tent in a tidy bundle of blankets.  _This is the guy who dragged you out here to spend the night in a tent on a frigid mountainside._

_This is the guy who has dedicated himself to all the hopeless cases in the world, and I’m next on his list._

He shook himself out of thought before he caught himself in any of the ridiculous cliches like “they’re so peaceful when they’re sleeping.” There was enough room for him, just barely, if he leaned into the far side of the tent, to sleep without infringing on Haruto’s space. He knew he would want to be rested for their ride back in the morning. And eventually, eventually he fell asleep.


	4. it's good to be young and daring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Calling it "the morning after" makes it sound like the previous night was much more interesting than it actually was, but that's fine, Takumi is equally mortified.

Takumi woke to birdsong and the smell of something cooking. Any moment now, Mari would be at his door reminding him there was work to be done, and Keitaro was probably already at the front counter dealing with those people who liked to drop off their laundry first thing Monday mornings. But for the moment, the air was cool and his bed was warm, albeit much harder than he remembered, and his curtains didn’t block the sunlight well enough—

He opened his eyes and remembered the previous night. He was still in a tent in the middle of a forest, many miles away and in a parallel world. He scrambled to sit up in a tangle of blankets, yesterday’s clothes clinging to him in uncomfortable ways. Haruto sat near the entrance to the tent with an amused expression. Takumi greeted him with his usual scowl, and Haruto returned a sunny smile.

"Not a morning person, I presume."

"It’s a little easier to wake up when I haven’t been hauled off to some distant mountainside to prove a point, thanks."

"You’re welcome," he said with a widening grin. He was probably enjoying this.

Takumi suppressed a growl as the initial shock of waking up in a strange place wore off. He was sure he’d gone to sleep on the very edge of the tent, but now he was approximately perfectly centered and wrapped in most of the blankets. He sighed. “I didn’t, I don’t know, say something or hit you or anything in my sleep, did I? I mean, sometimes…” He didn’t want to go into detail, but surely he could figure out the obvious from the events of their first meeting.

"If you did, I didn’t notice," said Haruto with a shrug. "Side effect of using magic is that I sleep like the dead."

Takumi shivered. “I’d rather not think about that.”

"Sorry. Poor choice of words. There’s breakfast if you want any."

"Breakfast?"

He nodded. “First meal of the day, usually prepared and eaten early in the morning before starting work. Reportedly the most important meal, but some people prefer to skip it.”

"I know what breakfast is."

"You asked."

"I meant what are you having."

"I’m having donuts." He waved a wrinkled paper bag that Takumi hadn’t seen sitting on the ground next to him. He certainly made enough use of that Connect ring. "A little stale, but still good. Hibiki caught some fish at the lake, and there’s even coffee."

"Is it… is it hot?"

This time, no snarky remarks. “I set some aside to cool when I heard signs of life in here. C’mon, get up. We still have to ride back.”

-

There was, as promised, fish and coffee, both fresh off the fire and left to cool just enough to be tolerable. Hibiki had already had his fill and was apparently only waiting for Takumi to emerge so he could pack up the extra tent into the van. The rest of his equipment had been put away, leaving just the folding chairs arranged the dwindling campfire while Hibiki hummed and worked. This time, Haruto did not offer any magical assistance. They would be leaving soon anyway.

"You boys are welcome to join me out here anytime you want, you know," said Hibiki, returning to his seat by the fire. "Breathe the mountain air, get away from the city. It’s lonely work when Kasumi’s not here, and it never hurts to have a few extra hands against the Makamou."

"Maybe later," said Haruto. "It’s a bit chilly right now to go camping unless I have to. Today was kind of an accident."

"I thought—" Hibiki frowned and gave Takumi an odd look. "Nevermind. I misunderstood. Will you at last be joining us back at Tachibana’s? Your friend should try their newest special."

"Thanks, we stopped there on our way here. But we probably need to be heading home soon. Keitaro and Mari probably…"

Keitaro and Mari! “I forgot to call them! Takumi blurted out. He immediately dug in his pockets for his phone.

Haruto stood and began folding his chair. “I guess that answers that. Hibiki, thank you for taking care of us out here.”

"Er, right, thanks," said Takumi. "And, um. Thank you. For talking."

"Pleasure’s all mine, the both of you," said Hibiki, smiling cheerily behind his shades. "I don’t get many visitors when I’m out on a assignment. You two have a safe journey home." Takumi could feel him watching as they left the campsite.

-

Takumi quickly dialed home while they pushed their bikes to the road. It picked up after barely a single ring.

"Thank you for calling Kikuchi Cleaners, making the world’s laundry pure white. How can we—"

"Keitaro, it’s me!"

"Takkun? Where have you been? You never came home last night!"

"Yeah, I noticed," Takumi said driliy. "Look, some things came up, and I had to stay the night."

"Really? Well, I can’t say I’m surprised, but that’s kind of… I mean, he’s very nice, but isn’t that a bit fast?"

"What? No! I mean, sure, I guess he is, but that isn’t." He could feel himself flushing and hoped Haruto couldn’t hear Keitaro’s side of the conversation. "Look, whatever you think happened, it didn’t. We got stuck in the middle of nowhere and wanted to wait until daylight to ride back."

"Of course you did."

"No! We didn’t—" He shot a covert look at Haruto, but the younger man was wearing his usual unreadable expression of mild amusement. "I have to go. We’re almost to the road. Sorry I forgot to call sooner. I’ll be back, uh, sometime today."

"Oh, don’t think you have to hurry because of us. Take your time, it’s fine over here."

"It is  _not_  fine over here, is that Takumi? Tell him Haruto’s great and we’re of course very grateful for his help, but we’re going to have to set a curfew next time they go out.” Perfect. Now Mari was joining in.

"Sorry, Keitaro, tell Mari I’ll make it up somehow, I’m losing reception out here."

"But I thought the Faiz phone—" Takumi hung up on Keitaro before he could finish his sentence. He’d understand, probably, or at the very least, he wouldn’t hold it against him.

"So," said Haruto entirely too casually, "how are Keitaro and Mari doing? I don’t think I’ve seen them since you all moved back into the house."

Takumi wasn’t sure how much Haruto had been able to overhear, but it was probably enough to earn his surliest scowl. “They’re fine. They’ll be more fine when I can get home to help out with laundry.”

Haruto nodded. “It’ll be quicker going home than it was getting here. We don’t have to detour by Tachibana’s, and I think Hibiki’s world is closer to yours than mine is.”

"How do you know these things? And don’t give me another ‘mysterious wizard’ line."

"I—that’s a good question, actually. You’ve never been to Hibiki’s world before?"

"What, it wasn’t obvious from the part where I had no idea who he was?"

"Takumi, you’ve fought beside him. More than once."

"As both allies and enemies, sure, but all of those memories are… weird. I’m not really sure how much of it actually happened. Either way, yesterday was the first time I actually saw his face or heard his name."

"Don’t you visit the other worlds sometimes just to see what other Riders are up to?"

"Of course. I’m incredibly social, and I especially love meeting other Riders."

"Right, sorry I asked." He paused while he thought. "I think… it might be easier for some people to travel between the worlds than others. I mean, obviously there’s only one Tsukasa—"

"Thank God."

"—but it’s reasonable that the rest of us have different levels of skill in the matter. Hibiki’s an amiable guy, but I don’t think he travels much either."

"Are you saying I’m not amiable?"

"Absolutely not." Haruto grinned back at Takumi as he reached the edge of the forest. "You’re a grouchy old man." He stepped out of the trees onto the path and climbed onto his bike.

"Hey. Hey!" Takumi shouted and waved, but Haruto pretended not to hear as he snapped on his helmet. "I’m not an old man," he muttered to himself, but there was nothing he could do except mount his own bike and follow the wizard.

-

Haruto apologized profusely to Keitaro and Mari both when they arrived back at the cleaners, but he did not, Takumi noticed, offer any specific favors to make up for kidnapping one of their employees for a day. Maybe strange diners that shouldn’t exist were only accessible to other Riders. He could always try to find out.

"Well?" said Keitaro after Haruto had left. His eyes lit up like the time he’d caught Takumi making midnight phone calls to someone halfway around the world and on some alternate timeline. "Did you at least have a good time?"

He considered the question. Excluding his help with the Phantom problem, each encounter with Haruto was more ridiculous than the one before it. He was almost terrified to wonder where he would invite him next. Maybe he’d start another Rider War as an excuse to force Takumi to talk to more Riders. Or hand him off to Nitou again.

Out loud, he said, “Yeah. I had a good time.”


	5. interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile, other characters who are not a sullen puppy and a wizard showoff...

"How did you even find this place?"

The other man at the table made a noise of innocent confusion. “Takkun brought Mari and I here once, I just asked him for directions.”

Todoroki frowned. “No, I mean, you shouldn’t be able to be here, at least not by yourself. You’re not, uh.” He paused, debated how much to tell. “You’re not a Rider.”

"Oh! Is that what everyone…? I mean, I think… I think that maybe I could have been. I have dreams sometimes…"

"Dreams?"

"I… I was, for a moment, I could feel the power, and then it… burned away." He had a distant expression, like he was trying to remember something very far away. "Anyway, that’s why I brought this. It’s related to… whatever you are, isn’t it?" He held up something small and high-tech. It looked like an ordinary cell phone, but Todoroki knew enough to guess it was probably Rider equipment of some kind.

"You used this to cross between worlds?" It was kind of brilliant, actually: tricking the universe into thinking he was a Rider.

He nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! Something like that. I can’t…  _use_  it, exactly, but I dream more when it’s nearby. And I can go places like this without Takkun, if I’m very careful.”

"Why? I mean, not that it’s a problem, but I’m sure there are other cafes that would be less trouble for you to find."

"Because I won’t run into anyone I know here. I would like you to teach me—if you want to, of course. Please."

Oh.  _Oh._  Everything clicked into place. Todoroki wasn’t sure what defined someone as a Rider, but he had noticed they were much less plentiful in other worlds than the Oni were in his, and the process of becoming one was mostly left to chance. He wouldn’t exactly describe the ONi training as simple, but it seemed to be the most certain path to joining the Riders.

Could he take on a disciple? He still hadn’t yet, but he was older now, and more experienced than when he had turned down the other boy. He was far from the newest Oni in the ranks anymore. And if there was some world where this man was a Rider, maybe he had it in him to become an Oni.

"It won’t be easy," Todoroki said carefully.

"I know! I’m prepared to work hard."

"And no offense, but most people start much younger."

He looked worried. “I thought so, but it’s never too late, right?”

"Er, not really, it’s just…" He fumbled for reasoning. "This isn’t something I can offer lightly. Even just training to become an Oni can be extremely dangerous."

"Wait, what?"

"I mean, maybe you’ll be fine? But a lot of Oni disciples are injured in some way or another during their training."

"Oni disciples? What are you talking about?"

"You said you wanted—"

"I was hoping you could teach me to play guitar." Todoroki stared at him in stunned silence, so he continued. "My friend used to play, but he… doesn’t anymore. And he says it’s fine, but I can tell he misses it, so I thought maybe… maybe I could learn. I’ll never be as good as he was, but I could learn to play a little, right?"

Todoroki nodded very slowly. “You came all the way out here to learn guitar?”

"I don’t want him to find out too soon, he’d say it was stupid. And the others would probably laugh if they knew."

"I… think I understand. Ah, what did you say your name was again?"

"It’s Kikuchi. Kikuchi Keitaro."

"You have a name like a future Oni, Kikuchi Keitaro," said Torodoki with a grin. "Let me find a practice instrument for you."

The laundry at Tachibana’s had never been so clean.


	6. dress the ground in white and grey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, sometimes Takumi is capable of asking for help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it doesn't snow in Tokyo in December, but shhhhhh this too is Decade's fault.

He got the phone call when it was snowing, a fine layer of white catching the clear December moonlight after an early cold snap.

"Haruto?" The voice on the line was quiet and shaky.

"Takumi, is that you?"

"Do you remember what you promised? When we first met."

The first time they had met had been a battlefield, and there had been no promises. But the first time they actually spoke, the world of the dead rising up to steal the world of the living. He’d made a promise there, the same promise that always came so easily to him, though the circumstances were usually different.

"Where are you now?" Haruto asked, and Takumi told him.

-

It took longer than he wanted, crossing worlds and following directions that were vague and halting, but Haruto found him with the help of his familiars. The scene was too bright for such a late hour, black sky and white everything else, like a TV with the contrast turned up and the volume turned down. It made Takumi into a dark shadow painted on the bench near the batting cages, hunched over for warmth.

"Did you walk all the way out here without a coat?"

"It’s not that cold," said Takumi despite a shiver that made him stutter the words. "Or that far."

"Like hell it isn’t." Haruto shrugged out of his coat and held it out. "Here. Put this on, it’s literally freezing."

"What about you?"

"Wizard, remember? C’mon, just take it. Might as well take the gloves, too. And the rest of it." Haruto continued shedding outerwear until he was the one shivering in just his shirt and pants, and Takumi was starting to look a little warmer. He fumbled out a ring, and in a moment, Dress Up had outfitted him in a complete new set of winter cltohes. "Tadaa!" he announced, making a little bow before taking a seat next to Takumi.

"I should’ve known it was another magic trick," Takumi said, but at least his voice didn’t shake.

"But of course."

"You can’t possibly have a ring for every situation."

"Not every situation," Haruto agreed. "For example, don’t let me forget that you’ve got the real ones. These will disappear when I take them off. But it’s less about having the best ring than knowing how to use it."

"Is that what they say," said Takumi drily.

"Was that a joke?" He peered over at Takumi, looking for some hint of a smile, but Takumi’s expression didn’t change. "Anyway. I don’t suppose you called me out here to talk about my fashionable solutions for cold weather."

Takumi didn’t answer. Haruto used the pause to put away the familiars he had followed there, deactivating them and pocketing the rings. He waited.

"I used to meet him here," said Takumi after a long silence. "Sometimes on purpose, sometimes on accident. And we’d talk about things. Most of it was so vague we didn’t even know we were talking about the same things. But it was more talking than I did with anyone else, and he listened. And… there were rough spots, but. It was. I think we could have been. We were close, I think. Despite everything."

Haruto nodded very slowly and remembered the bitter shade who had tried to drag Takumi into the world of the dread. “And he’s… gone now,” he said, choosing his words carefully.

"I’d probably be talking to him now if he weren’t. If I hadn’t. Sitting here, just like we used to. But he’s gone and it’s my fault, and I didn’t really know who else to call who’d be willing to come out here like this, and now it’s my fault again that you’re here and I’m wearing your hat and scarf and." He stared at his hands like he wasn’t entirely sure how he got gloves on them.

"You didn’t make me come out here," said Haruto. "I did that of my own free will."

"I asked."

"You didn’t, actually. You reminded me of a promise. Which was also my decision to give."

"That doesn’t change the fact that if I wasn’t here, you’d be at home right now, warm and asleep. And maybe Kiba would still be here, talking to someone who wouldn’t let him die."

"Is that why he called you hollow?" said Haruto cautiously.

Takumi choked out an ugly laugh. “No, no! That was someone else. He… well, he was awful, but he was an ally. Another Rider. We were… like you and Nitou, I suppose.”

From what Haruto had seen of the man’s ghost and from what Takumi had said about him before, he had an entirely different impression. Not allies,to begin with. Certainly not like him and Nitou. “How did he become, you know. A vengeful spirit?”

"Kiba killed him."

Oh. This was getting twisted. “Then what killed Kiba?”

"I did."

Haruto couldn’t even begin to form a response. There was more to the story, he was sure, but the pieces he was getting were already horrifying. A lot of death, and people he cared about, even if they didn’t necessarily return the favor. Which was unfortunately not uncommon among Riders, but not all of them shouldered the blame.  _He’s been drowning in this guilt for ten years._

"I dreamed about him again," Takumi said suddenly. "The other one, not Kiba. Kusaka. And y’know, it’s funny, I didn’t really like him when he was alive. Honestly we hated each other, but that doesn’t mean he should’ve died. And I think I’ve been more or less okay, since. Since it happened. I went away for a while, but I came back. Tried to live a normal life. I stay busy enough to not think about it, mostly. Or sleep a lot. Put it aside, like you said. Sometimes I can do that.

"But there’s something about watching a man’s ghost rise up and accuse you of all the things you know aren’t… anyway. Dreams. I woke up thinking of what a mess everything was, how many people died because I wasn’t willing to do anything, like I thought it would all just go away if I waited long enough. And I thought, I should go talk to Kiba. And I got here and remembered. That he isn’t here for me to talk to. So…"

"So you called me."

"So I called you." He kicked at the thin layer of snow on the ground. "In the middle of the night. In the snow."

"And I came anyway."

"And you came anyway." His voice was distant as he repeated the words.

"Which was a decision I made. Because you didn’t force me to be here."

"And you came anyway," Takumi said again.

Neither of them said anything else. Slowly, tentatively, Haruto reached out one arm. Takumi flinched when he felt Haruto’s hand on his shoulder, but he didn’t protest. After a pause, Haruto thought he felt the gentle weight of Takumi leaning into him ever so slightly. Well. It was very cold, after all.

-

It really was a beautiful night, all things considered. The snow had arrived late enough in the evening that there had been little chance to make a mess of things. Later, as people woke up and went about their daily duties, there would be grey slush piling up in the streets, muddy puddles of icy water on the sidewalks, the glamour of snow already lost to everyone but the very young. Probably it would just melt in the sun. For the moment, though, it was still pristine, broken only by two sets of footprints.

Beautiful or not, there was only so long Takumi was willing to make Haruto sit out in the cold, even if he could magic up a nice coat for himself. The initial impulse to go for a late night walk had worn off, and he was beginning to worry what would happen when Keitaro got up at some absurdly early time to discover Takumi wasn’t home. Besides, the last thing he needed was for anyone to see him like this.

"Um," he said finally. "Not that this isn’t nice, I guess. But."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," said Haruto, retracting his arm and allowing Takumi his space. "Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable."

"No! No, that’s not it at all, I just. Should probably be getting home soon."

Haruto nodded. “I’ll walk with you.”

Takumi didn’t reply, but he also didn’t complain as Haruto accompanied him home.

-

As they neared their destination, Takumi saw that they were too late. Sunrise was still a few hours away, but there was a light on inside. Keitaro was up already. Takumi sighed in frustration.

"We can’t make a habit of this," he said.

"Oh?"

"You coming to my rescue in the dark hours of the morning, that sort of thing. You’re starting to develop a pattern."

"Twice! It happened twice!" said Haruto defensively. "And anyway,  _you_  called  _me_ both times. That has to count for something.”

"It counts for you being entirely too convenient." They arrived at the door, and Takumi fixed it with his typical glare. "Look, I don’t want to be rude, but um. It’s best if I go in alone. Keitaro… gets ideas."

Haruto laughed. “I think I know what you mean. Fine, fine, my feelings aren’t hurt. Have fun explaining why you’re wearing my hat and coat, though.”

Takumi’s eyes went wide for a moment, but he quickly muttered, “I’ll think of something.” He stared at the door again, looking for any last things that needed saying before he went inside to face his roommates.

Before either of them could say anything else, the door opened to Keitaro’s smiling face. “Takkun! And Haruto! What a welcome surprise,” he said without a trace of sarcasm.

"He was just leaving, actually," said Takumi, shooting what he hoped was a Significant Glare at Haruto.

"Oh, no, please come inside, even if it’s just for a moment. It’s freezing out there."

"I, uh, can’t," said Haruto, trying to read Takumi’s expression and improvising. "My, um. My clothes will disappear. He’s wearing mine."

Keitaro nodded very slowly, as if he was sure there was a reason the excuse made sense, even if he couldn’t guess what exactly that reason might be. “He’s… wearing yours. I see. Well, at least let me get you a cup of something hot for the trip home. I woke up in the middle of the night because I heard the door and realized Takkun was gone, and I’m so glad you’ve brought him home. I was worried.”

"You worry too much," said Takumi, but Keitaro had already gone back inside. As the door swung shut, Takumi fixed Haruto with a stern look. Haruto shrugged apologetically.

"I tried, sorry."

"You didn’t try very hard."

Keitaro reappeared at the door carrying a steaming mug. “Here,” he said and pressed the mug into Haruto’s hands before he could object.

"Did you have to pick the one with my name on it?"

"Well, it’s not like you ever use it. I’m not sure why Mari bothered to get you one. He hates hot things, you know."

"I had noticed," said Haruto, a smile creeping onto his face.

"Don’t look so smug, both of you. It’s still mine, and you don’t have any right to be giving it away."

"I’ll bring it back, I promise. You’re holding my coat hostage, remember?"

Oh. Right. Maybe he was a little too eager to be angry about something. Takumi mumbled something that might’ve been an agreement.

"Say, Haruto, what are you doing for Christmas?" Keitaro was clearly trying very hard to sound casual, and he was also clearly failing.

"Mm, nothing, probably. I tend to keep to myself during holidays. Weird things happen to Riders, you know?"

"Why don’t you have dinner with us? I mean, it won’t just be you," he added quickly.

"Do we really have to do this every year."

"Don’t be like that, Takkun. Naoya will be there even if I don’t invite him, and some of Mari’s friends from the Ryuusei School. Mihara said he could make it this time, you haven’t seen him in ages."

"I can’t imagine why."

Keitaro sighed at Takumi and turned to Haruto. “Will you come? If you want to, I mean. It’s just, Mari and I both have friends coming, but he never invites anyone. Please?”

"Well, if there’s no objections," said Haruto, glancing at Takumi.

"I guess it’s better than being left alone with that crowd."

Keitaro smiled broadly. “Then it’s settled. I’ll call you when I work out what time everyone’s getting here.”

"You should probably leave before he invites you to move in. It’s still the middle of the night, you know. Some of us need our sleep."

"Alright, alright, I won’t overstay my welcome. Goodnight, Takumi, Keitaro. I’ll… see the both of you soon, I guess." Haruto gave a little wave before he made his retreat.

Takumi quickly ducked inside and headed for his room before Keitaro could ask him why he was out so late. The night’s exhaustion was quickly setting in and he felt stupid for leaving in the first place, but it was not, he thought, the worst night he had ever had.


	7. all the power in the universe conspires

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dreaded and/or anticipated Christmas party.

He had told Keitaro he would only do this for him in case of absolute emergency, but the emergency had arrived, and its name was Kaidou Naoya. The promise of food kept him from interfering directly in the kitchen, but he was certainly a distraction for Keitaro. Mari was able to pick up the ample slack until her friends started to appear at the door, and then she was occupied with greeting and entertaining her guests.

"I'm giving you the choice," said Keitaro. "I don't really think anything actually bad will happen, but just in case, Naoya probably shouldn't be unsupervised."

"He's as much an adult as the rest of us, and it's been years since that crap with Mari. He'll be fine."

"You probably  haven't noticed, but he isn't any more comfortable than you are with Mihara and Abe around, and he gets worse when he's nervous, especially in large groups. Like I said, I'm giving you the choice. I can make sure he doesn't cause too much trouble if you'll keep an eye on the kitchen."

"Keitaro, you know I can't even try to cook on this kind of scale," Takumi began.

"Not too much! Just, you know. Don't let anything burn. Or you could stay out there with everyone else and, uh. Talk to Kaidou."

Takumi  peered into the main room where everyone was gathered and caught a cold look from Mihara. He couldn't even name the rest of Mari's friends, and he didn't particularly want to think about the events some of them had in common. Keitaro wasn't so much requesting his help as he was offering him a way out.

"Alright," he said. "I'll... do my best. But I won't be held responsible for anything that happens."

"Thank you! Mari will be checking in regularly, she's been doing most of the cooking anyway." A yell from the other room caught his attention. "I'll, uh, leave you to it, then."

Which was how Takumi found himself nervously looking from one dish to the next in their tiny kitchen. Keitaro really was trying to do him a favor--almost everything was already done, though the one pot still bubbling on the stove felt like a ticking time bomb. Mari breezed in a few times to make minor adjustments and exchanged a sympathetic nod.

"How is it out there?" Takumi asked when she appeared again.

"Better than last year, albeit more crowded," she said. "I think Kaidou got the hint when I reminded him that Shuji could easily kick him into  _next_  Christmas if he didn't quit bothering Hikaru."

"That's, uh. Not really a hint. More like a blatant threat."

"Is it?" said Mari, eyes bright. "Well, you know some people don't handle subtlety very well."

"You're... absolutely right. Should I stya here, then?"

"Well, Keitaro's currently on Listening To Kaidou's Revolutionary Philosophies duty, but it's okay, I think he likes it," she said with a wicked smile. "I'm finished in here if you wanted to poke your head out and pretend to be a social creature, but if you'd rather just make a token appearance, it's about time to put plates out."

"Plates it is, then." He started counting out a stack. How many people had they invited again?

Mari nodded. "I thought so. Just be careful on your way out. Someone thought it'd be  _hilarious_  to pin mistletoe over the doorway, and he's made very certain we all know it would be absolutely against the spirit of the holiday if we didn't follow the rules."

"How incredibly subtle."

"Exactly."

Takumi peered up at the top of the doorway. "Someone" had done a passably good job at hiding their little trick; he could barely see the edge of something green peeking below the frame. Maybe next year he would decide to hibernate through the winter and spare himself the effort of dealing with people at their holiday worst. There was only so much socializing he was willing to tolerate in the name of favors for his housemates.

He must have been focusing too intently on the leafy trap waiting for him, because he tripped on his way to the other room with his arms full of plates.

"Whoa, careful!" said an all-too-familiar voice. "Don't worry, I've got you."

Takumi looked up in dismay. Of course Haruto had materialized in the doorway just in time to catch him, and of course they were both standing directly in the danger zone. "What are you doing here?"

"I was invited, remember?"

"No, I mean, what are you doing  _here_ , in the kitchen."

"Saving your dishes, apparently." He handed Takumi a plate that had nearly fallen. "Keitaro told me you were in here, so I thought I'd see if you needed help."

"I'm fine."

"Obviously--" Haruto was cut off by a howling from Keitaro and Kaidou. He looked up and saw what he was standing under. "Um."

"Don't even think about it," Takumi growled.

"Oh, honestly!  _Boys,"_  said Mari with an exasperated sigh, and before either of them could protest, she gave each of them a swift kiss on the cheek. The howling took on an entirely different tone. "There. Tradition upheld, I'm sure everyone had a good laugh, can we skip to the part where we all consume a ridiculous quantity of food and wine without any further dramatics?"

-

The collection of dinner guests was much more manageable once everyone had plates to occupy themselves with. Takumi had severely underestimated the benefits of inviting exactly one friend to obligatory social events. On the one hand, he had to talk to Haruto, but on the other hand, he didn't have to talk to anyone else. And Haruto was one of decidedly few people in the room who had no connections to Smart Brain, which for once put Takumi at an informational advantage.

"Let's play a game," he said, leaning towards Haruto so the others wouldn't hear. "It's called, guess which person in this room is Delta."

"As in, another Rider? Ah, but you see, I have an unfair advantage. I get around more than you do."

"Keitaro gets around more than I do."

"To other worlds, though?"

"Well, no," Takumi admitted. "And actually he knows, too."

"I've had... a little more experience with Tsukasa than most Riders. I've seen at least one variation on this world."

Takumi nodded. "And in that world, Delta was such a prominent figure that everyone knew his name, and you'd recognize any version of him on sight?"

"Him, damn," said Haruto with a smirk. "Well, that rules out a few people. And I'd been betting it was Mari."

"Do you think I would've gotten involved with any of this to begin with if Mari could've used the gear without me?"

"I don't think it would've changed much. This whole Rider business seems to be a weird kind of destiny."

"Maybe. I... like to think it was my choice. The right one, even if it took long enough. I've seen what other people wanted to do with the Faiz gear. I could've done a lot of things differently, but that was one thing that was absolutely right."

Haruto looked surprised. "That's probably the most positive thing I've ever heard you say about being a Rider."

"I know," said Takumi with a tiny smile. "You're a terrible influence."

Haruto laughed, but was cut short by a commotion arising from the main group. Kaidou slowly stood, wineglass in hand.

"Excuse me, excuse me, yes everyone, thank you," he intoned with a series of solemn nods, waiting for the muttering to die down. "A toast! There are some we miss and some we don't, but today has been another beautiful day in another beautiful year, and I'm most grateful to be here with all of you. So here's to all of those who didn't make it, and here's to all of us who did."

His eyes met Takumi's across the room, and Takumi remembered that the other Orphnoch had a story of loss just as twisted as his. They had at least that much in common: they were all survivors. He gave the smallest nod of acknowledgement, and he thought he saw Kaidou smile before draining his glass in a dramatic motion.

Haruto gave him a little nudge as everyone else cheered and drank. "Wnat to sneak out while Keitaro tries to open another bottle?"

"I don't know if it's polite to skip out on your own party."

"I think if it's anyone's party, it's Mari's."

Takumi looked over at where Mari was surrounded by her friends. She wasn't as carefree as Keitaro, but neither was she as moody as Takumi, and tonight she seemed to glow with happiness. Most of the guests were her friends, after all. Neither he no Keitaro knew most of these people terribly well.

He tried to catch Mari's eye and nod inconspicuously at the door. He was beginning to worry he might have to resort to hand signals or interpretive dance, but then she laughed and shook her head. "Go," she mouthed at him.

"I'm just, you know. Getting some air," he mumbled as he passed her, hoping nobody was paying much attention to his hasty retreat.

"I'm honestly surprised you lasted this long with so many people, I lost the bet with Keitaro," she said. She exchanged a conspiratorial smile with Haruto. "Go on, it's fine. Before Kaidou makes another toast."

Takumi started to sputter angrily about  _what bet_ , but Haruto's hand was on his shoulder gently pushing him out of the room.

"Don't worry, miss, I'll have him back before curfew," Haruto called Mari.

"You really are a terrible influence," said Takumi under his breath, and they left the party behind.

-

Haruto reclaimed his borrowed winterwear before they stepped outside. Takumi hadn't realized just how suffocating the party atmosphere was until he was free of it. Outside, the air was clear and crisp, not heavy with excited conversation and the warmth of too many people in a confined area. He was glad to put some space between himself and the muffled racket, and didn't notice he was following Haruto's gentle lead until realized that they had walked quite some distance without saying anything.

"Were you planning on going somewhere specific?" he said.

"Uh, well." Haruto slowed to a stop and looked around. "I was just sort of walking. But here's good enough."

Takumi took in his surroundings. They had followed the sidewalk onto a small bridge overlooking shallow water. The location had the hazy familiarity he associated with anything he did in the Faiz suit, and he could feel the hum of other worlds just out of reach. Other Riders had been there; it would be easy to step from this world to another. "What's good enough about this place?" he asked suspiciously.

"You're here, and I'm here," said Haruto with a shrug. "And nobody else is."

"So we didn't leave strictly for my benefit."

"Alright, you caught me. I may have had my own motivations for wanting to get away from the rest of the party."

"Motivations like what?"

"Like this." Haruto slipped a slender box out of his pocket. Takumi hadn't seen it before; he suspected further Connect abuse. "For you. It's Christmas, after all."

"Oh, I--I didn't even get you anything." Takumi stared at the box as Haruto placed it in his hands.

"It's a gift, not a business contract. Besides, you invited me to dinner."

"Keitaro invited you to dinner."

"You okayed it."

"It was only fair. You've treated me too many times already."

"I told you before, that was my apology for inflicting Nitou on you."

"You showed up at my house near dawn to save everyone from a Phantom."

"It's my duty as a Kamen Rider."

"But you didn't have to. I'm going to keep owing you massive favors."

"Are you going to open it or not?"

He didn't have much choice at that point. Takumi slowly lifted the lid. Inside, nestled among layers of tissue paper, was a silk scarf in a particularly vibrant shade of red, folded such that it displayed the black phi embroidered on either end.

"It's, uh. Something of a Rider tradition, scarves," said Haruto cautiously.

"Are you still trying to hammer in that whole 'yes you're a Rider' thing?"

"Sorry, it's probably thoughtless of me, I just thought. If nothing else, it might be kind of funny, after you borrowed mine, but that's also kind of..." He trailed off as he noticed Takumi's small smile. "You're teasing me."

"It always takes you a moment, doesn't it?"

"I'm just surprised every time I hear something like a joke coming from you."

"I guess it's partly serious," said Takumi, "but I'm... not actually angry. Thank you. For the scarf, I mean."

"I'm glad you like it," Haruto beamed. "Here, you should wear it."

Before Takumi could say anything, Haruto lifted the scarf out of the box. He had to stand on his toes to loop it over Takumi's head, and Takumi was suddenly intensely aware of how close he had to stand in order to do so. Their faces were almost touching as he adjusted the scarf's placement, his fingers in the cold, and Takumi thought he could feel the warmth of being so near another human being. He suddenly considered the very real possibility that Haruto might have a reason to keep helping him that wasn't suspicious at all. He felt one hand thread its way through the short hair on the back of his head, felt the cool weight of Haruto's ring on his neck.

"Is this okay with you?" Haruto said quietly.

Takumi worried that he might yell if he tried to speak, so he nodded. Haruto leaned forward, closing the very small space between them, and kissed him.

Takumi had never particularly bemoaned the lack of romance in his life. When he was younger, he just saw it as the natural side effect of never spending much time in one place. It hadn't seemed appropriate either during or immediately after his run-in with Smart Brain, and in the years that followed, it had sort of slipped his mind. Sometimes Mari would note that one of their regular customers had developed some infatuation with him for reasons neither of them could understand, and a few times he had pursued such opportunities, but he was always doing something wrong, misreading some arcane social cue. Keitaro certainly seemed to think there was something in Takumi's late-night phone calls, but Takumi was reasonably certain that if Kazuma ever set foot in Japan again, it wouldn't be for him. He was nearly thirty years old and struggled to remember the last time he had been in a situation like this.

If he categorized his sensations, they were less overwhelming. He could feel the warmth of his cheeks flushing, which was different from Haruto's warmth, which was different from the warmth he felt churning inside. Haruto's lips were very soft, not chapped by the winter air like his own, and Takumi could smell the old books and varnished woods of the antique store, cold metal, questionable decisions in body wash. He could feel his heart pounding, and if he listened very carefully, there was an Orphnoch part of him that knew exactly where Haruto's heartbeat picked up speed as well.

He knew it had barely been a few seconds, but it still felt like an eternity before Haruto moved away, blushing hotly. "Um," said Takumi.

"You're, uh. Very red."

"Yes, well!" Takumi waved his hands. "I wasn't. Expecting. You know, we should probably head back before too long."

Haruto laughed nervously. "Right, yeah. Let's go that direction, then."

They walked back in silence. Takumi wasn't sure what he would say if he could even put together a coherent sentence. This wasn't supposed to happen. Or rather, it was, it was the sort of syrupy nonsense that happened every day in Keitaro's soap operas. But it happened to beautiful, idealistic young women, and very rarely, to beautiful, idealistic young men. Haruto looked the part well enough, Takumi supposed, but he himself was none of those things.

Then again, his life was a constant stream of things that weren't supposed to happen. The wind pulled at the scarf around his neck, making it wave behind him in two brilliant trails of red.  _It's something of a Rider tradition._  He didn't think he deserved that, either.

"You're, uh. Quiet," said Haruto. "You're not upset, are you?"

"Depends. Do you kiss all the guys who invite you to dinner?"

Haruto looked shocked at first, but he laughed, relieved. "Only the cute ones. And I thought you said it was technically Keitaro who invited me."

"I'll tell him to watch out, then." He could at least make a small joke. It felt good to smile even if he couldn't articulate anything serious yet.

-

They arrived quickly at the house. Takumi could hear the halfhearted din of a party nearing its end, and the dwindling collection of motorcycles outside suggested that some guests had already made their escape. He was suddenly anxious again with the thought of those still remaining inside.

"I don't want to give you the wrong impression," he said, "but I'm not ready to have any of a number of conversations with Keitaro or Mari. They make enough suggestions as it is."

"Why, Takumi, are you embarrassed by me?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself. Letting you make your move on Christmas night doesn't make us, um. Us."

"Duly noted."

"I just. Need to think before I have to talk to them about anything. And you're, uh. Distracting."

"Is this a polite way of telling me you're kicking me out for the night?"

"Something like that, yeah."

Haruto nodded. "Fair enough. It's probably about time I quit imposing on you anyway." He opened a bright Connect portal and plucked his motorcycle from wherever it was he kept stashing it away.

"For the record," said Takumi, "I am definitely embarrassed by you."

"Sorry?" His expression fell.

Takumi pointed at the fading portal. "You're even flashier than I am. And yes, I know exactly how bad Faiz is."

Haruto laughed as he climbed onto his bike. "You need to start warning me when you're about to tell a joke."

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Goodnight, Inui Takumi."

"Goodnight, Souma Haruto."

In moments, he was alone in the cold, and the disappearing taillights in the distance dimmed into memory. He watched his breath fog in the air for a few minutes, steeling himself for further human interaction, then went back inside to mention absolutely nothing to Mari and Keitaro.

They complimented him on his scarf.


	8. night pretending to be day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takumi needs to clear his head after the Christmas party and figure out just where things stand, given. Recent developments.

The day after Christmas seemed to drag on forever. Kaidou had stayed the night, and both he and Keitaro were too hungover to be useful, leaving Takumi and Mari to put the house back together. At least it wasn't like any of their guests the night before had been particularly rowdy. Mostly it was a matter of washing every article of kitchenware they owned while Mari swore they were never feeding that many people again.

Takumi welcomed the tedium. He'd become a much more productive employee at Kikuchi Cleaners when he learned that working was a fantastic alternative to thinking, and he had plenty of things to not-think about. Mari didn't ask why he was suddenly so helpful, and Keitaro wasn't in much shape to catch him checking his phone.

By early afternoon, the house looked more or less identical to how things had been before the invasion, and Takumi was earning odd looks from Mari by actively asking for more things to do. "It's been a while since one of us mopped downstairs if you're that desperate, but honestly, you should probably just call him," she said finally.

"What? Who said anything about, I mean, call who?"

"Takumi, I've lived with you for ten years, and you're not any more subtle than either of those two lumps."

"Hey!"

Mari ignored the mumbled protests from the aforementioned lumps. "Not that I don't appreciate the help, but I didn't expect to see you vertical before noon today, and you've looked at your phone at least a dozen times in the last ten minutes. I don't know what's going on with you, but you  _are_  allowed to take the initiative to call first, you know."

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," said Takumi.

"Of course you don't," she said. "Well, you can either call some unspecified magic man I obviously know nothing about, or you can take care of those floors. Whichever you pick, try to be helpful somewhere else, it's creeping me out.

"Floors, then," grumbled Takumi, and he set off to find a mop and a bucket.

-

The downstairs laundry was not, in fact, in any great need of cleaning. Keitaro and Mari were both clean-natured people, and for all his complaining, Takumi could do his fair share. Recalling the less exciting events of the last few days led him to the realization that the laundry had been mopped the day before the party. The place was still spotless. One of these days he was going to catch them in the act of assigning him chores for his own benefit.

There was absolutely no point in washing a pristine floor, which meant he effectively had the rest of the day off. Mari could imply whatever she wanted; he wasn't calling Haruto.

_If you can't come up with anything, watch the sea._

That was an idea. It was better than making any phone calls doomed to awkwardness. Takumi crept back into the main part of the house, pulled on his coat and, after some consideration, the new scarf. He had somewhere to go after all.

-

A few hours later, Takumi was lost.

Not  _lost_ , exactly. He knew precisely where he was: not where he wanted to be. He had tried every weak spot he knew of, but he couldn't pass through whatever it was that separated the worlds. Doubling back on a suspicious patch of road just meant seeing the same scenery in reverse. He could feel the other worlds humming nearby in all the usual places: the stadium, the amusement park, the underpass by the river, the bridge where Haruto had, well. He thought about creeping into the tsunami drainage tunnels, but there was no point in subject himself to those memories when the results would probably be the same.

No matter where he went, he remained firmly in his own world. Ordinarily, this would have been a comfort, but for once, he had somewhere else he wanted to be. And he knew exactly one person he could talk to who described himself as naturally talented at traveling. Takumi pulled out his phone with an irritated huff and called the wizard.

"I didn't expect to hear from you so soon." Haruto's voice held a twinge of amusement.

"Don't sound so pleased with yourself. I need your help."

"And I'm always happy to offer."

"Of course you are."

"I honestly don't have anything better to do most of the time," Haruto confessed. "What do you need?"

"You know I don't travel between worlds much, but I do have a feel for where those boundaries are, especially when I'm with AutoVajin, but I can't, uh. It doesn't quite. I'm stuck here."

"Can you make it to any of the worlds you've been to before?"

"Haruto, like I told you, I don't exactly go visiting other Riders. Not unless You-Know-Who's involved, and that's not really intentional. It just sort of... happens."

"Yeah, but you've been to my world plenty of times, after the fire. One of us had to stay with Mari and Keitaro, but you didn't seem to have any trouble making the trip on your own."

"I'm not winding up in the wrong world. I can't get to any other world at all. I can't even get Den-liner, though you can never tell with them."

"Hmm." There was a pause as Haruto thought. "If you can't get out, let's see if I can get in. Where are you right now?"

Takumi named an approximate address. "I'm on the dirt path through the field with the steep hill on one side," he added.

"I've been there a few times. You know how it is," said Haruto. "I should be seeing you soon, and if not, I'll call."

"I'll just... wait here then, I guess," said Takumi, and the call ended.

-

Takumi felt a strange swell of emotions when he saw Haruto walking along the path towards him. He ought to be glad, he thought. Haruto was there to help him out of a weird situation. But Haruto himself had become a weird situation, and there were only so many issues Takumi was willing to deal with in one day. Wasn't that why he was trying to leave in the first place?

"I appear to have made it in one piece," announced Haruto when he was close enough.

"Congratulations," said Takumi. "How'd you manage to pull it off?"

"Magic!" Haruto waved his hands, and Takumi scowled. "I don't know, same way I always do. I've had a little more experience with the so-called Destroyer than you, and I think it sort of rubs off on you. And I've almost always had some kind of contact with other Riders."

"Wonderful. How does that help me?"

Haruto shrugged. "I could try chaperoning you into another world like we did with Mari and Keitaro. It should be pretty easy to do here."

"Fine," said Takumi. "Let's try that." Haruto nodded, and the two of them set off along the path. Under other circumstances, it might have been nice. The afternoon sun took the edge off the winter chill, and the sky was clear and bright. Takumi could appreciate a nice walk, but he didn't want Haruto to get the wrong impression. He wasn't even sure what the right impression was. And places like this were always strangely uncomfortable to stay in for too long, the pressure of infinite universes hovering too close, like speeding down a highway with too-narrow lanes. He turned to say something to Haruto--

\--and he was alone. There had been no warning, no shimmering wall, nothing. One moment, there had been two of them walking along the path, and th enext, there was only one. He cursed and dug in his pockets for his phone.

"Well, that didn't work," said Haruto suddenly from beside him.

"Shit, warn a guy!"

"Hey, I didn't know I was here until I was here." He wore his usual mild expression, but a shadow of concern crossed his face. "So you can't just follow me."

"Apparently."

Haruto frowned. "If I promise this is a genuine attempt to help, and not fueled by any personal wishes I may or may not have, would you be willing to try something?"

"Try what?"

Haruto held out his hand. He had done without gloves despite the cold, and his ever-present ring caught the sun to scatter bright spots of light everywhere. "Take my hand. I swear I'm not trying to pull something, this should work."

"Are you serious."

"Absolutely. C'mon, at the very worst, we'll both know exactly when I disappear."

"I'm not a child who has to hold hands to cross the street, this is ridiculous."

"You're an undead werewolf who turns into a one-man rave, ridiculous suits you."

Takumi made a noise of disgust which barely escaped becoming a growl, but only because he didn't want to prove him right. He sighed and accepted Haruto's hand, trying not to pay too much attention as he laced their fingers together. "You know, your scarf move was much smoother," he said as Haruto led him down the path.

"You're still wearing it," Haruto noted.

"It's a nice scarf," Takumi said weakly.

"You're welcome."

The scenery lurched, and Takumi knew they had slipped between worlds. Everything looked the same, but the air was slightly cooler, the wind stronger. If he squinted, he could see a windmill in the distance. "Double's...?"

"Not... exactly," said Haruto. "I thought it would be easiest to go back to my world. I think this area is more Gentaro's stomping ground, but Fuuto isn't far from here. In ordinary measurements, not the weird proximities of alternate dimensions."

"Wait, what? That doesn't make sense. Whose world is this?"

"Like I said, I've almost always had contact with other Riders. I mean, we mostly stick to our own territory, but not all of us have our own entire world."

Takumi realized he was still holding Haruto's hand and abruptly let go. "That Tsukasa ass ought to explain more when he does crap like this."

"Please ask him exactly that whenever he shows up again," said Haruto with a laugh. "But back to the matter at, uh, hand, now we know that you can still cross worlds, it's just much more difficult than usual."

"I'm not holding your hand all the way to where I'm going."

"And where is that?"

Takumi frowned and tried to remember. "I think I know the way from Fuuto. But it's too far to walk."

"I guess it's a good thing we're Riders, then," said Haruto, and a Connect portal flashed into existence next to him. Soon, Machine Winger was gleaming by his side.

"We can't ride, you'll just disappear again," Takumi protested.

"If we take separate bikes, yeah, probably. But I doubt this'll vanish out from underneath you if we ride together."

"Haruto..."

"It's your best bet and you know it."

"I left my helmet back with AutoVajin."

Another bright Connect portal. "Did you think I wouldn't have a spare?"

Takumi sighed as Haruto grinned at him. Reluctantly, he put on the extra helmet while Haruto guided the bike to the road. He climbed on, waiting patiently until Takumi delicately seated himself behind him.

"You'll want to hold on, you know," said Haruto. So he did.

-

Takumi didn't consider himself any kind of expert in two-wheeled motor vehicles, but he could tell Haruto's machine was a different breed than his. AutoVajin was brute force and obedience, the pinnacle of innovation (in 2003, at least) crafted by the sharpest minds at Smart Brain, a weapon conveniently disguised in motorcycle form. Its siblings in the Jet Sliger and Side Bashar were much the same. He was amazed some days that it ran on mundane gasoline, albeit much more efficiently than any other engine he'd seen, but at the end of the day, it was just another piece of technology, no matter how advanced it might be. The artificial intelligence that answered his call was only circuitry.

Machine Winger purred along the road almost silently. Takumi got the distinct impression that if Haruto willed it, it wouldn't make any sound at all, that even this low growl was completely intentional. He felt like they were riding some kind of sleek predator, like a massive wolf or tiger that slid effortlessly between cars and between worlds.  _Even his bike runs on magic_. Then again, what else was he expecting?

They couldn't speak over the wind when they were moving, especially when they made it into Fuuto proper, and for that much, Takumi was grateful. He did his best to indicate the next turn whenever they paused at a stoplight, retracing as much as he remembered of a path he had taken once. Soon, they were speeding along a lonely stretch of highway bordered on one side by ocean waves, the tiniest shudder alerting them to the shift from one world to the next. At Takumi's direction, Haruto eased his bike to a stop outside an unassuming house. A solitary figure stood a short distance away, looking out at the sea, but he turned and waved when he heard them approach.

"Is that the young Inui?" he called out. "And a friend, I see."

"Something like that,"  said Takumi. "Ah, Jin Keisuke, Souma Haruto."

"Er, sorry, have we met before?"

Jin studied Haruto's face. "I can't say I know you, but there's some familiarity. We may have crossed paths at some time." He glanced warily at the machine parked near the road, so conspicuously unlike other motorcycles. "In fact, I believe it's certain that we have fought together under...  _interesting_  circumstances, though these days I try to devote myself entirely to healing."

Haruto frowned as he pieced together the hints, but said nothing. Takumi cleared his throat loudly. "I hope we didn't, er, interrupt you. I just came here to, like you said." He gestured at the expanse of water in front of them.

Jin nodded. "And is your sea so far away that you had to visit mine?"

"I don't exactly have the fondest memories of my sea."

"There's only one sea. It's all connected." Jin smiled as Takumi fumbled for a response. "It's good to see you as well."

"You're not pressing me into service again now that I'm here, are you?"

"No patients today, fortunately. But I'm sure I could rely on you to help if one arrived."

"I suppose that's our blessing and our curse," said Haruto with a sly smile at Takumi. "None of us can refuse to help when we're needed."

"Not that I'm disappointed to run into you out here," said Takumi, "but I did actually come to watch the ocean. And think, I guess. Alone."

"Takumi, did you honestly have me ride all the way out here--there's miles of ocean everywhere--we could've stayed in my own world, even!"

"Look, I didn't plan to drag you out here, but you offered, and you didn't ask where or why until we were already there." He shoved his hands in his coat pockets and glared at innocent sand.

Jin motioned Haruto away from Takumi. "Let him have his time with the sea. I'm sure he has his reasons. You and I can go inside and talk."

Haruto gave Takumi a worried look. "It's fine, go on," said Takumi. "I'll still be here when you come back."

-

Inside, the house was almost uncomfortably warm, and Haruto instinctively stashed his coat away with the Connect ring. He caught Jin watching him and stammered out a quick apology.

"So is that the sort of trick the new generation gets up to?"

"Mostly just me," Haruto admitted. "It's sort of my trademark. Ah, I don't think Takumi mentioned. I'm--it feels silly to say it. I'm Kamen Rider Wizard. Thus, magic."

"I see. Well, I'll spare you any boring speech about how things were in my day. I'm also called Kamen Rider X. Please, have a seat."

Haruto slowly sank into one of the chairs. "That means... a Showa Rider?"

"If such distinctions are important, yes."

"How did Inui meet a Showa Rider? He doesn't really... he's not terribly social, and the last time we were all in one place was, um. Tense."

Jin chuckled softly. "It was, as I suspect many things are, a matter of being in the right place at the right time. And how has Inui been lately?"

"I'm not sure what's appropriate to say."

"Whatever you like. I'm an old man who's seen enough suffering in the world already. I'd like to know that the people who leave my care are the better for it."

"He's... mostly alright, I think," said Haruto slowly. "I mean, he works and talks, if you pay attention and aren't mean. Sometimes he tells jokes, and sometimes you can even catch him smiling if he doesn't think anyone's looking."

"But?"

"But..." Haruto frowned, trying to phrase his concerns. "He has nightmares, I know that much. Things that happened years and years ago, but the smallest thing reminds him and he snaps. And he never seems fully convinced he deserves anything but the worst. I've never seen someone carry around so much despair and still pretend to function like a normal human being, and it's not tied to any one thing."

"That sounds like the Inui I met," said Jin. "He helped me with a patient back then; he had the face of someone who had seen too much blood already. But it sounds like this is even deeper than that."

Haruto nodded. "I don't know al the details, and it probably isn't my place to tell you about them. But, well. You've met Riders. I think all of us have... been through things. But we... we move on. We have to. He... sort of shoulders the blame for things that were never his fault instead."

"I... see." Jin's expression was distant, but he flipped through a collection of cards resting on a small table, selected one, and passed it to Haruto. "A colleague of mine. I'm afraid I'm not the right kind of doctor to help our friend Inui, but she might be able to. And she's... familiar with Riders, you might say."

"That's, um. I appreciate the offer, but you know he'll never call. He doesn't think he deserves help."

"Oh, he'll probably make a fuss at the very suggestion," Jin agreed, "but it's worth letting him know he has the option."

Haruto's phone buzzed. "Just a moment." He fished it out of his pocket to find a message from Takumi, as if on cue.  _how long are you planning on leaving a guy in the cold?_  "...Ah. It looks like he's had enough time with the ocean already."

"I suppose we shouldn't keep him waiting, then." Jin waited for Haruto to summon his coat, then escorted him to the door.

-

Takumi was scowling heartily at nothing in particular when Haruto and Jin re-joined him. "You were right," he said to Jin. "It's the same sea. Sorry for dumping Haruto on you."

Jin shook his head. "It's no bother. We had a good talk. It's nice to have visitors who aren't here for medical attention."

"Even ones who show up without warning?"

"Especially those." He looked back out to the sea. "Remember that our blood comes from seawater. Our tears, too. The ocean has a limitless supply of both."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just something to keep things in perspective, I suppose."

"Right! Well, that's enough cryptic advice for one day. Thank you for keeping the pet wizard busy while I waste everyone's time."

"The  _what?"_

"It's no trouble at all," said Jin with a broad smile. "Come and see me or the ocean any time, either of you."

"I just might."

Jin nodded towards Takumi's scarf. It caught the air dramatically, drawing a jagged line out to one side. "I like it. Reminds me of some old friends of mine."

"It, uh. It was a gift. I'm not really used to it."

"Someone has a good eye. It suits you. I think you could use a little color like that."

Takumi could feel Haruto's smile against his back as they made their way back to his bike.

-

The ride back was swift and uneventful. The other world didn't much seem to want them, spitting them out unceremoniously near Fuuto. Haruto brought them back to where he had met Takumi earlier that day, cruising around the area until he found the place where AutoVajin was resting.

"Sorry I made you go all that way for nothing," said Takumi as he traded Haruto's spare helmet for his own.

"I told you, I don't have anything better to do. Anyway, what was that back there about a pet wizard?"

"Since apparently we've been secretly dating and no one thought to tell me?"

Haruto grimaced. "Ah. That. Um. Look, I probably shouldn't have, it's fine if you're not interested."

"I didn't say that."

"Uh. I'm listening."

Takumi took a deep breath, let it out slowly. Focus. Words. "I'm not. Angry, really. Surprised, mostly. I would've liked to have known. It makes everything that's happened make sense. The constant outings. And such."

"Takumi, I swear I didn't invite you out just for some kind of, I dunno, ulterior motive."

"No, but it explains why I kept agreeing."

"Sorry?"

"You know I don't usually go running off with any pretty face who promises me dinner, right? Just ask Mari or Keitaro. I'm perfectly capable of telling people no."

"That's kind of a relief, actually. That you aren't just humoring me," said Haruto with a nervous laugh. "Wait, what  _are_  you saying?"

Takumi hesitated. "I'm. Open to the idea. I'll never hear the end of it from Mari and Keitaro, but I guess that's just something I have to deal with."

"Am I witnessing the exceedingly rare spectacle of Inui Takumi asking someone out?" said Haruto, grinning, which earned him an instant scowl.

"Don't you dare try to frame me as making the first move after everything you've already done."

Haruto laughed, less nervously this time. "Alright, alright. How do you feel about spending an evening out with absolutely one hundred percent guaranteed ulterior motives?"

"Are you going to make excuses to hold hands again?"

"Almost definitely."

"What did you have in mind?"

"New Year's Eve. The Kougami Foundation puts on an amazing fireworks show; every year they try to outdo the year before. I'll come get you so we don't have to worry about whatever's keeping you from crossing worlds."

"I suppose I could tolerate something like that." He tried to maintain his surly expression, but he couldn't help smiling. He avoided Haruto's smug look.

"Only if you're really interested, of course. I won't force you to do anything you don't want to."

"I said I'd go, right? Don't make me be more specific."

"Okay! It's a date, then."

Takumi nodded grimly. "A completely non-secret date that you have informed me about before it happens."

"Exactly."

There was probably something he was supposed to do here, something he should say. Everything looked different now that he had to mentally reclassify all their previous interactions as "possibly a date." Instead, he just climbed on to his bike. "I'll, uh. See you then, I guess."

"Till then."

The engine roared to life. AutoVajin knew the way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, please give me as much slack as possible for characterization of Jin because I'm relying almost entirely on the wiki for information about him. I'll get around to watching the Showa riders eventually, I swear.


	9. an otherworldly move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The date night arrives! With complications, of course. There is a way these things are done.

Takumi confronted Mari Tuesday Afternoon when he was starting to feel the edge of panic. “Hey, uh, Keitaro’s out on a delivery, right?”

Mari shrugged from her place on the couch, but didn’t look up from her book. “So he said, though I could’ve sworn we didn’t have any orders ready to go out today.”

“You know how he is. Someone this morning probably requested a special rush, and he couldn’t stand to say no.”

“Probably. Did you need him for something? He should be back before too long”

“No!” said Takumi quickly. “It’s, um. Look, understand that I am having this conversation with you in the strictest confidentiality.”

Mari slowly put her book down. “Inui Takumi, are you keeping secrets?”

“It’s not like that! I haven’t been  _hiding_  anything, it just sort of happened.”

“What happened?”

“I,” he began stiffly, “have a date tomorrow.”

Mari looked at him expectantly.

“With Haruto,” he elaborated. When Mari still didn’t respond, he said, “Come on, can you at least pretend to be surprised?”

“You can act like we couldn’t have seen this coming, but you haven’t seen the way you look at him.”

“Is it really that bad?” Mari gave him a look, and he cringed. “Okay, well, surprising or not, I need your help with this, and I’d rather not talk to Keitaro about it.”

“You realize Keitaro has been convinced you two were dating since the first time you disappeared off to see the wizard, right?”

“Keitaro thinks lots of things. He thought I was dating Kaidou when we were cleaning up after Smart Brain.”

Mari shook her head. “That’s not true,” she said, then smirked at Takumi’s confusion. “He thought you were having a torrid affair with Mihara, which is, obviously, the real reason why you won’t invite him to anything.”

“This is exactly why I’m not talking to Keitaro about this.” He let out a weary sigh. “Look, are you going to help me or not?”

“Depends,” she said. “What do you need help with?”

“All of it!” He waved his arms in frustration. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, or wear, or expect.”

“You seem to be confused as to which one of us watches those awful soap operas.”

“You have to know  _something_ ,” he said plaintively.

Mari stood, walked to where he stood fidgeting, and placed her hands firmly on his shoulders. “Takumi, I’m going to give you the most cliche advice any human has ever had to receive.”

“I’m listening.”

“Just be yourself. No, don’t pout, I mean it. For reasons the rest of us will never understand, a kind and attractive person has decided he likes you, and I’m not about to let you mess this up by putting on some kind of bizarre show to win him over. You don’t have to  _do_  anything. You’ve already won. Enjoy a nice evening out.”

“Humor me, please.”

“Wear clean clothes, which we certainly have no shortage of around here, wash your face and brush your teeth before you leave, don’t worry too much about your hair I swear it’s supposed to do that, and don’t do anything Kaidou would.”

The last bit earned a tiny smile. “That sounds like solid advice.”

“You’ll be fine. What are you two doing, anyway?”

“Watching fireworks at midnight, apparently.”

“That is the most disgustingly romantic thing I have ever heard. If he brings you flowers or little stuffed animals, I don’t want to hear about it.”

“I–he wouldn’t–oh my god, Mari, you are the worst!” Takumi sputtered as Mari laughed her way back to her seat and recovered her book.

They both startled at the door chime. “Since our usual resident sap is out for the moment, that makes it your turn to take care of the front.”

“Yes, ma’am,” said Takumi, and he left Mari to read in peace.

* * *

Keitaro wasn’t back that night, and when Takumi forced himself to wake early the next morning to get a head start on the day’s work, he was still missing. He tried calling Kaidou to see if the two of them were having another late-night-turned-morning, but the other Orphnoch hadn’t seen him either.

“More bad news,” announced Mari. “I can’t find the Kaixa Gear.”

“Yes, I definitely wanted to know about the single least important thing we own, thanks. Not like we don’t have more pressing matters to worry about right now.”

“I wasn’t looking for it, not at first. But I was going through Keitaro’s things for any sign of where he might have gone, and I just happened to notice it wasn’t where he keeps it.”

“Wait,” said Takumi. “Why, of all of us, does Keitaro have the Kaxia Gear?”

“He was hiding it from you,” Mari said quietly. “So you didn’t come across it by accident. You dwell on things too much already.”

Takumi was lost for a response.  _I don’t need your help_ , he wanted to say. I _’m fine, I’m always fine, and if I’m not, it’s no less than I deserve_. But he knew that was the reply that earned concerned glances, whispered worries when they thought he wasn’t listening. So instead, he dipped his head and mumbled, “Thanks.”

That seemed to satisfy her. “Anyway, I can only assume he took it with him. I don’t know why, but it’s my best guess for why they’re both missing at the same time.”

“Fantastic. Not only is Keitaro gone, but he’s probably carrying with him a valuable and dangerous device that killed everyone who ever used it.”

“Not everyone, technically.”

“I thought we weren’t reminding me of  _him.”_

“I meant Orphnochs can use it just fine,” said Mari sharply. “And I think it would probably just give Keitaro and error message. He’s not even, you know. Like me and the others.”

Takumi bit back another sarcastic remark for the sake of Mari’s lost classmates. Even him. She was just trying to help, which was more than he could say for himself most days. “I’m going to, uh. Contact Haruto to let him know I might have to call off the date. And see if I can round up some people to help find Keitaro.”

“Ask him if he has GPS ring we can use to track the Kaixa phone.”

“Knowing him, he probably does.”

* * *

Haruto did not, in fact, have a GPS ring, but he showed up at Kikuchi Cleaners shortly after Takumi called him with every familiar he had, plus a few other diminutive companions Takumi didn’t recognize.

“I really think mine will be more helpful. It’ shad to compete with the versatility of literal magic,” said Haruto. “But I ran into Gentaro on my way, and he insisted on loaning me one of his. He’s, uh. Forceful.”

“Tell me I’m not looking at flying chicken nuggets.”

“You are, unfortunately. They’re not as completely ridiculous as they look, I swear.”

“I met the fruit guy, remember? I kind of expect ridiculous from you lot.”

“I’m not sure you’re calling ‘you lot.’ I am a perfectly respectable wizard.”

“Well, maybe you can perfectly respectably help us with today’s emergency.”

Haruto nodded. “Right, sorry. Did he say anything over the phone?”

Over the… oh. “I, uh. Haven’t actually called him.”

“You’re missing a phone-like device and you called me before you tried calling him?”

“It sort of slipped my mind, okay?” said Takumi, but he was already pulling out the Faiz phone and dialing its sibling. It connected, which he was willing to consider a good sign, because he didn’t want to imagine what circumstances would put the Kaixa phone out of service. For a moment, he almost expected to hear another sickeningly familiar voice on the line, but then the call picked up, and he heard Keitaro quietly panicking on the other side.

“Keitaro, it’s okay, it’s me,” Takumi said quickly.

“Takkun? Oh god, I don’t know where I am or how I got here, but I can’t get back, and I took the Kaixa gear without telling you, I’m sorry–”

“Shh, it’s okay, we’re gonna find you. Can you, I dunno, give us any hints? Describe the area?”

A pause. “I know I passed Tokyo Tower at some point. And it… wasn’t where it should be. But everything where I am now is… it’s just wreckage, everything is broken and abandoned. Like it used to be part of the city years ago, but something terrible happened. Everything’s a maze of broken buildings, and I haven’t seen anyone else here, but I… I don’t think I’m alone.”

Takumi relayed the information back to Haruto and tried very hard to keep his voice steady as he did. Haruto repeated it to someone over his cell, then frowned as he listened to the response.

“He’s not in either of our worlds. Luckily, Gentaro has a friend who knows more about Riders than they do themselves, and she has a pretty good idea where he is, but that still doesn’t explain how Keitaro got to a random world by accident.”

“We can figure that out after we find him. I don’t like the sound of this.”

Haruto nodded. “Let’s both ride. You’ll probably want that lump of scrap metal you call a driver.”

“At least I’m not the one with a hand on his crotch,” Takumi mumbled as he gathered his helmet and gloves.

“Jealous?” said Haruto with a quick smile, but the good humor only lasted a moment. They had a mission.

* * *

Haruto’s latest plan for ensuring Takumi could safely follow him looked ridiculous, but it would be worth it if it worked. “Like calls to like,” he had explained. “It’s one of the most basic tenets of magic.”

And so Takumi didn’t complain as he raced down the road with a small plastic unicorn perched in front of his motorcycle. He had a pair of tiny robots shaped like chicken nuggets in his pockets. Ahead of him, Haruto carried the remaining nuggets and his little Golem familiar, while Garuda led the way. Takumi did mention, however, as soon as they stopped at a light, that they were very definitely heading north, and since Keitaro had named exactly one major landmark, shouldn’t they be going in that direction?

“If we were going to your Tokyo Tower, sure, but we aren’t. Don’t look at me like that, I don’t know why the worlds fit together the way they do.” They followed Garuda down a dark alley, and when they emerged into the light again, the sun was on the other side, and they were in a completely different part of the city. The buildings they passed started showing signs of serious structural damage until soon they were surrounded by little more than rubble continuing forward as far as they could see. Haruto and Takumi walked their bikes through the debris.

“Here’s where the little guys come in handy,” said Haruto, and released the Tsunuggets. They zipped through the air, each of them in a separate direction, while the carton/base hovered nearby, humming and chirping. Haruto’s familiars spread out to look as well, but for all his faith in magic, they apparently weren’t as efficient as tiny fast food robots. Nuggegyroika soon started making excited noises and indicating a direction. Takumi grabbed the Faiz briefcase from his bike, and together he and Haruto followed the chicken nuggets.

They didn’t have to go far. Keitaro stood in a small clearing between different unrecognizable bits of wreckage, frantically checking every direction for some unseen enemy while one of the tiny droids rapidly circled overhead. He finally noticed Takumi and Haruto approaching and called out to them.

“Takkun, oh my god, you came.” He looked so relieved he might cry. “Haruto, too! I’m so sorry, that’s twice you’ve saved me now.”

“You know this sort of thing is the closest I have to a job, right?” said Haruto.

“Nevermind all that,” said Takumi. “How did you even get here? What were you doing with the Kaixa Gear? Wh–” He felt a slight tug. He looked down to see Golem at his feet, pulling at the cuff of Takumi’s pants to get his attention. Slowly, solemnly, Golem shook its head, an expression of concern on its tiny face.

Takumi looked back at Keitaro. “Where  _is_  the Kaixa Gear, anyway? I thought you had it with you.”

“I–I don’t know what you mean. Why would I have the Kaixa Gear? Listen, you’ve got to get me out of here, quickly, there’s something here and it isn’t friendly,” said Keitaro.

“But you had to have it, I called you on the Kaixa phone before we left.”

“I dropped it! Please, can we go home, I don’t want it to find me.”

 _“Takkun!”_  The shout caused Takumi and Haruto to spin around and see–

–another Keitaro? The man approaching them was absolutely identical to the one they were speaking to, but he carried a dusty metal case that matched the one in Takumi’s hand. The doubles regarded each other carefully, fear and understanding dawning. Golem tugged on Takumi’s pants again, then carefully pointed at the Keitaro who had just arrived.

The first Keitaro hissed and lunged at them, but Takumi already had the Faiz case open, fastening the belt around his waist in a practiced motion as he dialed the code. As the armor formed around him, he watched Keitaro’s face melt away into some repugnant thing, like a hulking larva hunched over stunted humanoid legs.

Then with a screech, it shed that form as well, molted into something insectoid and chittering. The creature was all segmented carapace and flicking antenna, and the light of some internal fire seeped out through the gaps in its exoskeleton. Haruto transformed nearby, charging at the thing with sword ready before it could choose a target.

Takumi and Haruto easily traded blows with the monster. It was satisfying in a strange and almost nostalgic way, fighting like this. He could get used to having someone by his side that he trusted. It was different than fighting beside Kaixa or Delta, people he never spoke to unless absolutely necessary (not, admittedly, a noteworthy designation). He felt oddly safe for someone currently engaged in a battle that might kill him and his friends.

And then the monster vanished without warning and reappeared to strike at Haruto’s back, and Takumi felt several attacks land without even seeing the beast. It moved faster than sight, faster than comprehension. Haruto equipped the Wind ring, but he had barely placed it on his finger when the monster knocked him to the ground. He switched to Infinity and manage to get in one good hit, but it was still too fast for him to find his target.

Takumi made a desperate dash for where the Faiz case lay in the dust. The monster turned away from Haruto long enough to slam him down. “The case!” he coughed at Haruto. “I need the case!”

He had expected the Connect ring. That was, as far as he could tell, Haruto’s preferred method for transporting anything to anywhere. What he had not expected was for Haruto’s arm to elongate bonelessly and elastic. It lashed whiplike across the battleground and flung the case in his direction. Takumi grabbed what he needed before the monster could stop him. The armor over his chest lifted and rotated, a calm voice announced start up, and

                    everything

                               slowed

                                             down.

Takumi had never fought anything that could match him in Accel Mode. With just the two of them moving so impossibly fast, it was like the entire world stood still. Movement belonged only to them. Clouds of dust hovered over the ground with every step, and Keitaro and Haruto were frozen nearby.

His first hit caught the thing completely off guard. It had relied too much on this one trick, and Takumi landed several more solid hits before it realized it was no longer alone in the dimension of speed. By then, Takumi had the upper hand. He was relentless, refusing to give it a chance to recover, pausing only to ready the Faiz Pointer. The monster stared at him with understanding when it was pinned beneath the crimson arrow, and Takumi left the dimension of speed to watch the thing fall with the rest of the world.

Takumi exhaled slowly and let his armor fade. He heard Haruto do the same, but when he looked back at the other Rider, he saw him watching with… admiration? Pride? Whatever it was, it wasn’t a sentiment Takumi was used to seeing directed at him.

Keitaro, for his part, grinned at both of them. “Amazing, isn’t he? That’s our Takkun. I’d be dead a hundred times over without him.”

“I don’t even know what exactly just happened,” Haruto confessed. “I just know one second we were getting our asses kicked by that thing, and the next, you were posing in front of the explosion.”

“I don’t  _pose_  in front of anything.”

“Right, sure, neither of us has ever done anything unnecessary just because it looked cool. The bikes are purely practical.”

“It came with the belt! It’s not even really mine, it’s all Mari’s!”

“And mine came with the dragon, your point?” Haruto’s grin was almost as broad as Keitaro’s.

Takumi regarded them both warily. “You,” he said, “are an awfully mean person when you’re not being so damn helpful.”

Haruto laughed. “If you say so. Crisis averted, friend rescued, I’d call it a good day.”

Takumi frowned at the case in Keitaro’s hands. “What were you doing with that, anyway? That thing would  _kill you_  if you tried to use it.”

“I’m not using it!” Keitaro said quickly. “Not like that, anyway. But when I carry it with me, sometimes I can… go places. Like you and Haruto.”

“That shouldn’t be possible. Even I have trouble getting to places like this, but you’re not a Rider, you shouldn’t be able to get here on your own at all.”

“You… may not be entirely correct,” said Haruto. “I don’t know all the details, but I know there are worlds where Riders are… different. I met an alternate version of myself.”

“I am not prepared to contemplate the idea that I could have had a world where Keitaro is Kaxia instead of him,” growled Takumi, grabbing the Faiz case and stomping in the direction of the bikes. “C’mon, let’s get out of here. This place creeps me out.”

* * *

They made it back to the home Takumi shared with Mari and Keitaro just as the sun was beginning to sink beneath the horizon. Takumi decided that arriving at sunset may not be as poetic as sunrise, but it was certainly more convenient. He’d take practicality over poetics any day (or evening, as the case may be).

“We should probably hurry, if we’re still on for tonight,” said Haruto once Keitaro was safely delivered home. “I’ve still got to return the chicken nuggets.”

“Are you sure it’s okay for me to go, you know, like this?” Takumi gestured at his clothes, stained with the dust of another world, and raked his fingers through his windblown hair.

“It’ll be fine. Everyone will be wrapped up in coats anyway. And Gentaro would insist on calling you senpai if you showed up in rags with the police on your tail.”

“Is that… is that a thing that has happened to you?”

“What? No, of course not. Technically, Gentaro is my senpai.”

“Didn’t you say he was in high school?”

“Uh. Sometimes. In a manner of speaking.”

“You know what, I’m not even going to ask. Let’s go watch things explode.”

* * *

They rode to Haruto’s world on the back of Machine Winger. The sound of the engine was even softer this time, a contented hum. Takumi sat very straight, uncertain how much contact was appropriate or expected or necessary. If his posture was unnatural or uncomfortable, Haruto didn’t comment, and the two of them slipped into the slightly colder world that Haruto shared with so amny other Riders.

The young man who met them to retrieve Nuggegyroika looked like he was still in school, or maybe barely out of it. He greeted the two of them with a serious expression that reminded Takumi of himself at a certain age.  _Don’t forget, you were only eighteen when the Faiz Gear found you._

There was something not-of-this-world about the way the very last of the sunlight caught his eyes, like a dusting of stars against a darkening sky. It reminded him of the quiet power sleeping inside other Riders, a spark of something more than human. “Are you Fourze, then?” Takumi asked, and he was instantly rewarded with a shower of laughter.

“Obviously you’ve never spoken to Kisaragi if you can mistake me for him for even a moment,” said their contact. “I’ll pretend it’s a compliment, though. I’m Utahoshi, but everyone just calls me Kengo thanks to Kisaragi’s stunning lack of regard for basic courtesy. He’s helping out with the show, so you get me instead.”

“Sorry, there’s something… I thought you were a Rider.”

Kengo regarded Takumi suspiciously. “I’m not Fourze for, well, a lot of reasons, but you’re unusually perceptive.”

Haruto quickly handed over Nuggegyroika. “He’s Faiz,” he said, as if that explained something. “He doesn’t really mingle with other Riders much.”

“Then you’re probably lucky you got me instead of Kisaragi. He’s not a bad guy, but he comes on a little strong.”

“I’ve been warned.”

“Warned is definitely the right word,” said Kengo. “He asked me to give you a proper welcome, but I think we’d all appreciate it if I didn’t.”

“What’s his idea of a proper welcome?”

“There’s usually a lot of yelling involved, sometimes he gets punched in the face, and at some point he declares himself your friend.”

Takumi looked to Haruto for confirmation, but he just shrugged. “I swear I didn’t punch him in the face.”

“Riders are all lunatics,” Takumi muttered.

Kengo laughed brightly, completely shattering his dour expression. He didn’t have the look of someone who laughed this often, and each time it came as a shock. “You’re a good one, Faiz, but I’ll leave you two be. I’d tell you to stay out of trouble if I thought it’d work. Best of luck in the new year!”

“Ah, the same to you,” said Takumi.

“Thank you to everyone for their help,” Haruto called out to Kengo as he left.

“Well, you know what they say,” said Kengo. “Riders should help each other. And so forth.”

“I notice you didn’t mention the part where his little robots almost got us killed,” Takumi remarked as soon as Kengo was out of earshot.

“That’s kind of an exaggeration, isn’t it? We’re all fine, aren’t we? Besides, it was an honest mistake.”

“I just thought you’d take the opportunity to brag about the superiority of magic over technology.”

“So does the Faiz phone even get wifi?”

Takumi glared. Haruto laughed and flung his arm over his shoulders. The unexpected contact made Takumi flinch, but he tried to will himself to relax.

“It’s okay,” said Haruto as if reading his thoughts. “Nothing’s going to happen. We’re two people out to see some fireworks in a crowd of other people who don’t care who we are. If anything catastrophic did happen, there are a half a dozen other Riders nearby.”

“Just surprised me is all.”

“I kind of like you a little. But you  _are_  allowed to tell me to lay off, you know.”

“’M fine.” Was he fine? He was pretty sure he was fine. His heart wasn’t racing. Of course not.

Haruto just nodded, though he regarded him with concern.

Midnight was further away than he had thought. Haruto procured snacks from a nearby cart, and Takumi watched him physically exchange money for goods instead of magicking them up from wherever he kept putting things. Takumi sudddenly found himself holding a steaming cup of coffee.

“Haruto…” he began.

“Shush. I don’t expect you to drink it. Just hold it. It’ll keep your fingers warm.”

“I thought that was your job.”

Haruto actually had the good grace to blush, but he took the remark in stride. “My hands are a bit full at the moment.”

“I was promised ulterior motives, not… late night donuts? Really?”

“They’re symbolic,” Haruto insisted. “It’s a circle. As the old year ends, the new year begins, and so it goes forever, or something like that. Besides, I don’t know how often dead men eat, but I’m hungry.”

“You’re terrible.”

“And yet you’re still here.”

“Against my best interests, I assure you.” He shot a tiny smile at Haruto. “How often do you deal with stuff like this, anyway?”

“Like what?” said Haruto cautiously.

“I’m not really sure what to call it. Maybe Orphnochs can’t be Gates or something, maybe there’s not enough room in the food chain, but we don’t really have a Phantom problem in my corner of the world. Or whatever that thing was that looked like Keitaro.”

Haruto frowned as he thought. “Actually, you have a good point. I’ve never seen a Phantom outside of my world unless you-know-who was involved. What about you? Are there Orphnochs in other worlds?”

“I keep telling you, I don’t travel like you do. That business with the land of the dead was the first time I found myself definitely, solidly in another world. Before that, there was just… little pieces leaking through. Strange dreams, battles half-remembered.”

“You’ve never, I dunno, found yourself in a really weird mess of things involving another Rider? Not counting right this moment.”

“I haven’t told you much about Kaixa, have I?” said Takumi drily.

“Takumi.”

“I mean it, though. I think sometimes something happens with Decade, but my memories are always like those awful photos he takes, fragmented and blurry. When you and I met was the only time I’m sure of, and even that’s a little fuzzy. I didn’t even know what a Phantom  _was_ , just that the whole despair/hope thing seemed to be your specialty.”

Haruto’s frown intensified. “I honestly don’t know what to say to that. I thought… anyway. This probably deserves looking into, but I don’t really want to focus on that right now.”

“What  _do_  you want to focus on?”

“Here. Now. I don’t want to ruin a nice moment by asking how it’s possible.”

“Fair enough.”

* * *

A crowd gathered as midnight approached. In time, the coffee was cool enough for even Takumi to drink, and in more time the anticipated hour arrived. The sky erupted with colored fire as the crowd cheered (Takumi noted a small figure streaking across the night yelling something about space, and he almost smiled), and somewhere in the noise and the light, Haruto’s hand found his. It was a quiet gesture, especially by Haruto’s standards, but Takumi had had enough excitement for one day. He was content to pass into the new year in peace.

* * *

Wordlessly, Haruto delivered Takumi back to his home. They both stood outside the door with a sense of finality. “I want you to have something,” said Haruto. “But please don’t take this the wrong way.”

“Take what in what way?” said Takumi, eyes narrowing.

Haruto dug in his procket and help up something small and shiny. “This.”

“This is…” Takumi took the ring from his hand, but didn’t put it on. “The first date and you’re already giving me a ring?”

Haruto winced. “Trust me, there are plenty of people out there who got one of my rings for less. It’s sort of an occupational hazard.”

“Well, now I feel  _really_  special.”

“You should. I have lots of Engage rings, but only one of everything else. You’ll be the only person besides myself with one of my combat rings.”

Takumi stared at the ring, turning it over in his hands as if he might find some kind of explanation. “Alright, I give up. I have no idea how I’m supposed to interpret something like this.”

“It’s… well, partly it’s honestly just practical. I think if you’re carrying something from my world, something specifically tied to a Rider, it’ll be easier for you to visit. It worked earlier with the Plamonsters, and they’re just rings with a personality. In case you ever want to drop by without arranging for me to come get you. Think of it like a key to a very large house.”

“Only partly?”

“And maybe I just like making excessively romantic gestures,” Haruto admitted.

“I can’t exactly trade accessories you know. The Faiz Gear doesn’t have any optional pieces.”

“I’m not asking you to. I’m not asking for anything.”

“Except for me to wear a frankly hideous ring.”

“You don’t have to wear it! Toss it in the Faiz briefcase if you want to. I’d appreciate if you didn’t lose it–magic stones are rare and Shunpei’s still learning–but I’m not asking for any, I don’t know, grand displays of devotion or anything. It’s something that I thought would be useful, and I wanted to give you something of mine that’s important.”

Takumi inspected the ring again. “It’s definitely too big to wear. It’ll get in the way at work. But I can probably put it on a keychain.”

“You know, phone charms are always popular. And the Faiz phone…”

_“No.”_

“It was a suggestion,” said Haruto with a wicked smile. “But honestly. You’re welcome any time you want to visit. And if by some chance I’m busy, I promise the other Riders in the area aren’t that bad.”

“I’ve met Nitou.”

“The  _other_  other Riders.”

“I’ll take your word for it. Thank you, I think,” said Takumi, but his expression was a sincere one. “I should, uh. Get some sleep. Keitaro always wants to visit the shrine early, and you can probably guess how much I love mornings.”

Haruto nodded. “Alright then. I won’t keep you.”

Takumi stared at the ground, at the ring in his hands. There was something that was supposed to go here, a step in the farewell process. Haruto’s gentle smile offered no answer. After an awkward pause, Takumi dipped his head and mumbled a “goodnight,” then ducked into the safe familiarity of the house.


End file.
